Opposing Forces
by Mntngrl94
Summary: Avaa met Zuko and Iroh by meer chance and now their destinies are entwined... bad summary rated just in case. ZukoXOC
1. A Woman's Company

**I was finally brave enough to post my fanfiction!! Yay! **

**This is basically canon stuff with a little tweaking. You'll see as you read. I've tired my very very hardest to keep everyone in character. **

**(Disclaimer) I do not own Avatar or any of it's characters. **

**I _do_ own these characters:**

**Avaa**

**Hotaru**

**Souh **

**Kaiya**

**Isano **

**Read and Review please. (Yeah, I know there are typos, sorry. I'm a fast typer.)**

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A Woman's Company

Avaa rode Suri across the mesa. It was about time to set up camp, but she wanted to cover more ground. Suri snorted and Avaa rubbed her neck.

"Easy, I see a house up ahead, we'll stay there," she told the ostrich-horse. The house looked abandonded, but it would provide shelter for the night. Avaa ran her fingers through her ebony black hair and sighed. She was aching all over, luckily, the house wasn't that far. "Hey, Suri what you say we run the rest of the way?" Suri snorted again and flipped her head backward in reply. "Good girl. Hyea!" Suri brust into a run and Avaa held on tightly, but grinned. She loved the feel of wind in her hair and the whistle in her ears. She was brought back to Earth when she saw two figures standing near the edge of the cliff. Her grin disappeared and she pulled the reins. Suri huffed impaiently at her.

"Shh!" Avaa hissed, even though they were out of earshot. She clicked her tongue softly and Suri walked foreword. Avaa lead her to a cluster of trees only a few yards from the figures.

Avaa dismounted, tied Suri to a tree, and ventured to the edge of the small grove. The figures were a short, fat old man, and a boy about Avaa's age. The boy looked at the man and Avaa saw a burn on his face. She frowned, _Another one suffers from the Fire Nation. _Oddly enough, the boy seemed familar. Then, the man spoke.

"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang; postive energy and negative energy," _What on Earth are they talking about? _Avaa thought. The next sentence made the color drain from her face." Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy comes crashing back together," _Firebenders! But why are they dressed like that? _Avaa became more intestested and watched intently. The old man continued,"You provide release and guidence, creating lighting." Avaa's eyes widened. Her father had told her about the firebenders who could make lighting. He couldn't do it himself, only the most powerful firebenders could create such a thing.

The old man held out and the boy stepped back.Then man swung his arms in a circle and then jabbed his right hand into the air. Lightning erupted from his fingers, and as quickly as it had come, it vanished. Avaa could hear Suri snorting and getting anixous, but paid her no mind. She was too busy watching the strangers.

"I'm ready to try it!" The boy said.

"Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide." The old man said to him," Breathe first." The boy did as he was told, made the same circluar motions, and stabbed his hand into the air, like the man did. But, instead of lighting coming from his finger tips, a firey explotion threw him backward. Avaa jumped backward, not only from the explotion, but the boy was right at her feet! Suri sqwaked and pulled on her reins.The boy heard Suri and looked up, straight at Avaa. In the few seconds no one reacted Avaa realized where she had seen him before. He was Prince Zuko! She had seen his wanted posters, which ment the old man was General Iroh. Avaa cried out instintively when he lunged at her. She ran back to Suri but Prince Zuko caught her wrist.

"How much did you see?" He asked her. He showed no hostility, but she knew he was prepared to fight if necissary. Avaa masked her fear and stared back into the golden eyes.

"I know who you are, Prince Zuko," Avaa said. Prince Zuko narrowed his eyes and frowned at her. His already warm hand heated even more, and Avaa fought a grimace of pain. "I won't turn you in, or fight you. I'm a friend," His expression lightened into confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. His grip losened.

"You're wanted by the Fire Nation for treason, you can't be all bad," she replied. General Iroh now stood behind the Prince. "And I'm half Fire Nation. I hold nothing against you,"

"But, we're part of the royal family. Ozai is my father," Prince Zuko said. Avaa shrugged.

"The first thing I said applies there. You're wanted men," General Iroh placed a hand on Prince Zuko's shoulder and he let go of her wrist.

"If we have a friend, we should not try to convince her to be otherwise," he said,"What's your name?"

"Avaa," she replied."Do you mind if I stay here for the night? This is probibly the only shelter for miles."

"Of course you can stay here," General Iroh said. Avaa smiled and bowed in thanks. He turned to Prince Zuko. " Zuko, we need to get back to training." Prince Zuko nodded and they walked back to the ledge. Avaa let out of sigh and walked to Suri.

"You know you could have gotten me killed!" Avaa hissed at the ostirch-horse. She untied her and lead her to the other ostrich-horse. Avaa could tell it was male, when he took a sudden interest in Suri. "Do get too attached, we probibly won't see these guys again," Avaa whispered when Suri responded to the male's snorts. Avaa turned to the firebenders and watched Zuko try to make lightning, but fail misrably.

"Why can't I do it?!" Zuko said after many tries," Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everthing always does!" Avaa frowned at the last sentence. She didn't know much about Zuko, except that he was wanted by the Fire Nation.

"I was afraid this might happen," General Iroh said," You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you," Zuko turned to him, enraged and fustrated.

"What turmoil?!" He shouted. Avaa rolled her eyes and snorted. _What turmoil? _

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want to your anger to go away," Iroh replied.

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" _Obivously. _Avaa thought.

"Prince Zuko, pride is not the object of shame, but its source. True humility is the only anidote to shame,"

"Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately." Zuko said sadly. Iroh looked to the side, to think, then turned back to Zuko.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a firebending move even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself!" Iroh said. _He is a master._ Avaa thought. Zuko smiled at his uncle. Iroh smiled back and picked up a stray stick and Zuko sat cross-legged infront of him. Avaa stayed put,away from them, but Iroh motioned for her to join them. Zuko turned around to face her. Iroh approved of her coming, but she didn't know about Zuko. Avaa gave him a questioning look and moved her eyes from the ground at her feet to them. Zuko nodded and Avaa walked to them and sat at Zuko's left. Avaa gave him a small rather shy smile, but his attention was on his uncle. Avaa followed his example and turned to the general. He drew the firebending symbol with the stick.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achive what they want," Iroh drew the earthbending symbol next," Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring," The airbending symbol,"Air is the element of freedom. the Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly conerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" Iroh smiled widely at them, but Zuko remained expressionless and Avaa had no idea what he ment. Iroh's smile faded and he drew the waterbending symbol,"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." Zuko stared at the symbols in the dirt.

"Why are telling me these things?" He asked. Avaa wondered this too. More importantly to her, why did she have to hear it?

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale," Iroh replied. He drew lines sparating the symbols,"Understanding the others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole,"

"Hm," Avaa said and nodded. Iroh smiled at her.

"All this four element talk is sounding like Avatar stuff," Zuko said.

"It is the combination of all four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful," Iroh poked the stick at Zuko's chest,"But, it can make you more powerful too. you see the techinque I am about to teach you is one I learned studying the waterbenders," Zuko looked intruiged, and Avaa looked confused, but interested. _A waterbending, firebending move? This I have to see._

Zuko stood up and Avaa moved away again. She felt a little jealous that she couldn't bend, but watched to maybe incorpate the move into her sword fighting. The pair pacticed waterebending moves to get themselves flowing correctly.

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponent's energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning,"

"You can teach me to redirect lightning?" Zuko asked ,excitedly. Iroh nodded.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will folow it," Iroh pointed with his right hand at an angle in the air and pointed at with his other hand,"You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down your stomach," he moved his left hand from his arm, to his shoudler,and down to his stomach, "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case it is more like a vast ocean," Iroh said, laughing. Avaa giggled, but Zuko said nothing,"You direct it up again and out the other arm," Iroh pointed into the distance with his left arm," The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the pass through your heart," He pointed at Zuko's chest," or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a phyiscal motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this," Iroh pointed to the left with both arms, Zuko did the same, and moved his right arm and pointed it in the other direction. Zuko followed with the same movement.

"Now are you focusing your energy? Can you feel you chi flowing in, down, up, and out?" Iroh asked Zuko.

"I think so," he replied. Zuko continued the motions Iroh showed him. Iroh waved his amrs in a wave motion.

"Come on. You've got to feel the flow," Iroh said. Avaa smiled, she liked General Iroh. He seemed nice.

After about half-an-hour of practicing, Iroh stopped in the middle of the techinque.

"Excellent! You've got it!" He told Zuko proudly. Zuko put his hands togther and bowed slightly to Iroh. Avaa smiled at Zuko's success.

"Great!" Zuko said,"I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Iroh gave Zuko a questioning look.

"What are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous!" he said.

"I thought that was the point," Zuko said,"You teaching me how to protect myself from it,"

"But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh said waving his arms defensivly,"If you are lucky you wil never have to use this techinque at all." Zuko looked into the distance at the dark clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

"Well, if you won't help me I'll find my own lightning," Avaa, who had been day dreaming, looked up at Zuko. He got his ostrich-horse and rode off.

"Prince Zuko, wait!" Avaa called, but he was gone. Avaa rounded on Iroh,"Why didn't you stop him? He could get himself killed!" she snapped.

"Zuko isn't the person who can be talked out of things," he replied. Avaa frowned at Zuko, slowly disappearing into the distance. "He'll be back," Iroh asured her,"Let's go have some tea," Avaa gave one last glance at the storm, and followed Iroh back to the run-down house.

The house wasn't as run-down as Avaa had thought. True, that it was missing most of the front wall, but it had a roof and three other walls. It would make a pretty good shelter for the night. Iroh picked up a teapot sitting on a small fire, and poured tea into two cups.

Iroh handed Avaa a clay cup, steaming with freashly made tea. She blew the steam away and took a sip. The tea still burnt her tongue.

"I hope you like jasmine," Iroh said.

"Are you kidding? It's my favorite!" Avaa told him. He grinned as he took his own cup.

"It's good to have something in common with someone," he said,"Jasmine is my favorite too," Avaa smiled and sipped her tea again. This time she could taste the tea.

"What exactly are you two wanted for? I mean I know it's treason, but what did you do?" Iroh's smile turned somber, and he set down his cup.

"I'm afraid, that it's my fault that Zuko is wanted. He never did anything,"Iroh said,"You see, Admiral Zaho attacked the Northern Water Tribe earlier this year. To make sure that he won, he captured the moon spirit, creating a luner eclispe. And the waterbenders couldn't bend," he paused," When he wouldn't realse the moon spirit, I attacked him," Avaa nodded. So, he was good. "A few weeks ago, Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, came and told us that Fire Lord Ozai wanted us home. I didn't believe it for one second. Zuko, however, did. The next day as we boarded Azula's ship, a solider let it slip that we were to be prisoners. We escaped, but now we're fugitives." Avaa nodded again, taking everything in.

"Well, your secret is safe with me," she said,"I don't meet very many people on my travels anyway. Even if I did let it slip, I wouldn't be able to tell anyone where you are,"

"You're not staying with us?" Iroh asked, sounding rather disappointed.

"Did you want me to?" Avaa asked ,surprised. Iroh shrugged.

"It's been quite awhile since we've had the pleasure of a woman's company," Avaa smiled.

"Well, it's been awhile since I've had _any_ company," she said,"I'd be happy to travel with you two," Iroh smiled brightly again.

"Excellent," he said,"And how did you come about traveling on your own?"

"Well, it all starts with my family's orgins," Avaa said," Like I said, I'm half Fire Nation. My father was from a Fire Nation colony and my mother lived in an Earth Kingdom village not far from it. My father had an arranged marriage with a Fire Nation woman and together they had my half-brother,Hotaru. My father's first wife died of illness when Hotaru was about nine. My parents met a month afterward and soon feel in love, got married and obviously had me," Avaa paused to make sure Iroh was following. He nodded for to continue,"When I was seven he decided to raid the village with the help of his soldier friends. He killed both of my both of parents, but not before my mother smuggled me to the river near my village so I could escape. I made my way to a village downriver and a old herbalist took me in and raised me 'til I was thirteen. Hotaru had found me, so I fled north and joined a group of kids called The Freedom Fighters. It was there I learned how to fight with a sword and became the leader's girlfriend," she added, blushing a little," I had managed to keep the fact that I was half Fire Nation from them for two years, but then they found a little Fire Nation girl and was torturing her. I couldn't stand it anymore and told them," Avaa looked at the ground sadly remembering the girl's terrified face," Of course they immedently ran me out and I traveled south again and pretty much wandered around until today," She finished. Iroh nodded, as she had done and then spoke.

"I'm sorry about your family," he said.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Let's change the subject,"

"Of course," Iroh replied,"What shall we talk about?"

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**Yeah I know this wasn't the best place to leave off, but I'm proud of it. **

**And the story gets a lot more interesting soon, I promise. This was the introduction if you will. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Three's A Crowd

**Chapter two hooray!! Yeah disclaimers, I own nothing but my characters and stuff blah blah blah...**

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Three's A Crowd

Someone gently shook Avaa awake. Their firm hand rested on her sholder and they whispered in her ear,

"Avaa, Avaa," Avaa forced her heavy eyelids open and saw unfamilar surroundings. Not until she saw the face of the person who woke her up did she remember what had happened the pervious day.

She had two firebenders from the royal family, hadn't gotten harmed at all, and was going to travel with them! _Not bad for one day's work. _Avaa thought after remembering. Avaa sat up and streached.

"Good morning, Iroh," she said pleasantly. Iroh quickly hushed her by putting fingers on his lips and 'sushing' her.

"Zuko's still asleep," he said pointing at something behind Avaa. She followed his finger and saw Zuko sleeping in the doorway. He was probably so tired he passed out right there. Avaa turned back to Iroh and agologized quietly, but Iroh smiled and waved it off. "He only got back three hours ago, so we'll let him sleep as long as possible," Iroh whispered.

"Of course," Avaa replied," Sorry."

"You weren't that loud. I just wanted you to know," Iroh told her as he was moving toward the fire. The teapot sat on it and steam billowed quickly out of the spout. Iroh took it off the fire and added tea leaves. "The tea will be ready soon." He said.

Avaa nodded rather absently and gazed outside. The storm was moving from the moutains and was making the sky ash gray.

"I'll be back," she told Iroh. She stood up and headed for the door," I'm going to check on Suri,"

"Who now?" Avaa heard Iroh ask. She turned to face him.

"My ostrich-horse," she replied. Iroh nodded and Avaa hopped from the porch onto the ground. Suri was where Avaa had left her, right beside the male. Avaa smiled at Suri's friendly snort and head toss. "Good morning," Avaa said quietly as she stroked Suri's neck. The male made a noise and Suri and Avaa turned to him. Suri made a reply and turned back to Avaa. "It looks like we'll be seeing more of them than I thought," she told the ostrich-horse.

Avaa reached into her saddle-bag and pulled out three apples. Immediently Suri tried to grab one, but Avaa held them out of reach.

"These aren't for you," she scolded," You have plenty of grass right here," Avaa gestured at the little tuffs of grass in the ground. Suri huffed at her, Avaa huffed back and walked back to the house.

As Avaa climbed the stairs she could've sworn she felt a raindrop fall on her head. She took great care not to step on Zuko, or drop an apple on him. From what she saw yesterday, Zuko was easily angered. She couldn't imagine how angry he would be if he was awakened by a piece of fruit falling on his head.

Avaa sat down beside Iroh and handed him an apple.

"I wish I had more," she said sadly,"I've haven't cooked a decent meal in ages."

"You cook?" Iroh asked. Avaa nodded.

"Yeah, I've been told I'm pretty good," Iroh chuckled.

"You probabily should've said that," Avaa raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Because Zuko and I can't cook, and now I know you can," he trailed off. Avaa knew exactly what he meant. It didn't matter through, she liked to cook.

"Well, I don't know about that, but you make excellent tea, Iroh." He beamed with pride and grinned.

"That's very nice, thank you," Avaa smiled pleasantly back, but it was gone as tunder shook the house. Avaa and Iroh nearly jumped out of their skins and the ostrich-horses swaked outside, where it was now pouring buckets of rain.

Avaa was frozen in shock until she heard an annoyed growl come from the doorway. She turned to see Zuko, now fully awake and very damp. He had apperently had been sleeping under a hole in the roof. Zuko stood away from the rain and glared at the hole in question.

"Umm...Good morning," Avaa said. Zuko turned to them, obivously annoyed.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier? " he asked. Avaa looked at Iroh. After all, it was_ his_ idea.

"We wanted to let you sleep in," Iroh replied,"since you came back only a few hours ago," For some reason, Zuko didn't seem pleased by this answer.

"Well, I'm awake now, so let's get ready and go." Zuko said, turning toward the doorway.

"Are you insane?" Avaa asked him after another clap of tunder,"Travel in _this_?" Zuko turned back to face Avaa.

"I don't remember it being any concern of yours, what my Uncle and I do," Avaa was silent for a moment before narrowing her eyes and standing up to be at his eye level.

"Iroh invited me to stay with you two," Zuko narrowed his eyes at his uncle,"But I havn't made my decison yet. I wanted to hear what you had to say first," This wasn't really true. Avaa had made her decison, but wondered what Zuko would think.

"Did you want to stay with us?" he asked.

"I thought it would be nice to have human company for once," Avaa answered. She looked at him intently and Zuko did the same to her. He was probably reading her eyes. Avaa had been told time-and-time again that her eyes were more truthful than her mouth.

"It's fine with me," Zuko said finally. Avaa smiled,"Now let's get ready to leave," Avaa's smile disappeared.

"Zuko we could get killed out there," she said.

"We've already made plans to leave," Zuko said stepping outside. Avaa followed him into the rain.

"That was you and Iroh, yesterday, when it wasn't dangerous out here. Besides, don't you want to rest up more? We don't want you passing out on your ostrich-horse." Zuko rounded on her, starting to lose his temper.

"No," he said sternly,"We're not changing plans on my account or the weather's,"

"But I never got a say in this," Avaa replied.

"Uncle Iroh and I already agreed to it. Two against one." Zuko said mounting his ostrich-horse. Avaa pressed her lips together and glared at him. _Zuko isn't the person who can be talked out of things. _Iroh reminded her in her head. She sighed and mounted Suri.

"Fine, but when we get fried, it's not going to be my fault," Iroh joined Zuko on their male ostrich-horse.

"We won't get fried. Iroh and I can redirect lightning," Zuko said.

"Yeah, you two can, but I can't. I'm not a bender."

"Don't worry, Avaa, we'll protect you," Avaa narrowed her eyes at Zuko. She didn't like the way he said that.

Rain fell on the trio in a solid sheet of water. Avaa shivered. It may be spring, but it was freezing. The rain didn't help either. She blew into her hands, but they still felt like ice. Avaa looked at the other two, and they didn't show any signs of discomfort.

"I don't get how you two aren't cold," she told them. Both turned their attention to her.

"We're-" Iroh started.

"Firebenders," Avaa finished,"I forgot," She blew on her fingers again.

"Normally, I'd suggest a fire, but I don't think it would work," Iroh said. Avaa smiled and shrugged.

"I'll live," she answered.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. She nodded.

"Yeah," What Avaa didn't know was that Zuko was elbowed by Iroh into the question.

**BOOM!** Lightning struck a nearby tree. The ostrich-horses darted away. Avaa's heart pounded and she shook. She looked at Zuko and Iroh to see if they were okay. They were fine, but shaken like her.

"Are you all right?" she asked after their ostrich-horses had calmed down.

"Yeah," Zuko replied," We're fine. You?"

"Yeah," Avaa looked over her shoulder at the brunt tree in the distance. It was a little more fried than brunt and looked like a tower of ash.

"I never want to be that close to lightning ever again," she said.

"You probably won't," Iroh assured her,"There's a one in a million chance you can get struck by lightning. What are the odds of it almost happening twice?"

"Hopefully, very small," Avaa said. She moved a soaked lock of hair behind her ear and shivered again. She wondered excatly how long it would take for her to throughly dry. The wind picked up and blew into the trio head-on. The rain, now, stung their faces and they were pracitcaly blind.

"I can't see anything," Zuko called against the wind's howl.

"I told you it was a bad idea coming out here," Avaa called back.

"Shouldn't last long," Iroh told them before they could stsrt arguing. Avaa turned her face away from the wind and caught a glimpse of her saddle bag. She realised that her stash would have to be replaced. Which greatly annoyed her, some of those were really hard to find. She huffed in annoyance and shielded her face from the rain.

Iroh was right about thte wind. soon, it had died down to a breeze and eventually completely disappeared. Avaa blinked water from her eyes and looked to her right again. Zuko and Iroh were at her side, right were she left them.

"I was right," Iroh said. Avaa smiled.

"You seem to have a knack for that," she told him, making him laugh.

"Don't encourage him," Zuko said as he rolled his eyes. Avaa looked at Iroh and asked,"Did you hear that?" with her eyes. His smile had disappeared and he waved it off. _Zuko must be grumpy from being tired and wet. _Avaa concluded, _I knew we should have stayed- _Her thoughts were interupted by an explosion of lightning, once again hitting a tree. Suri tried to run away, but Avaa held her fast. _A one in a million chance..._ Avaa scanned the sparsely wooded area for a human shape. From the corner of her eye she saw Zuko and Iroh do the same.

For three long minutes they warily searched for the enemy. If they were right and it _was_ an enemy, it was a very powerful firebender.

Avaa gasped when lightning struck the same tree again and plaed when she saw a firgure step out of a small grove. Hotaru. he smirked at her plae face and chuckled softly.

"My you've grown, little sister," he said. Hotaru was very intimidating. He was tall, muscluar, and had an aura of darkness around him. Avaa looked into his eyes, they were almost indentical to her own, but she never could imagine them being as cold as Hotaru's.

Hotaru glanced at Zuko and Iroh, who had dismounted and took their defensive stances. Avaa sat on Suri, frozen in fear. Hotaru looked into her eyes and she narrowed them and titled her chin upward.

"So you've finally found me," she said cooly,"I was beginning to think you had given up." Hotaru chuckled again.

"You wish," Avaa pressed her lips together and raised her chin higher.

"Who are you?" she heard Zuko ask.

"Haven't you told your friends about me?" Hotaru asked. His voice was kind of deep and coarse,"I thought family was important to you," Avaa pressed her lips together more tightly. When Hotaru saw he would get no answer from her, he adressed Iroh and Zuko. "I'm-" he started, but Avaa cut him short.

"Hotaru, my older brother by-"

"Half-brother," he spat at her. Clearly, she had struck a nerve. Time to play on it. Avaa dismounted and stepped infront of her brother, unarmed.

"Are you too good to be my brother now?" Avaa asked. Hotaru look down at her with flashing brown eyes.

"Do you remember why I've been trying to find you?" he asked.

"Yes, and it's taken you a really long time to find me," Avaa answered," you'd think it would be easy. I haven't changed my appearance at all," she flipped her wet hair over her shoulder,"How _did_ you find me?" Hotaru smiled evily.

"I had help," he said simply,"You should choose your friends more wisely," Avaa didn't know who Hotaru was refering to. She couldn't think of any of her friends that would betray her like this, execpt maybe-

"Well, baby sister, it's my lucky day," Hotaru said," I finally get to rid myself of my shameful family _and _I get to turn in the biggest traitors of the Fire Nation,"

"First of all, I think that these two are the only sane firebenders in the world. And what makes you so sure you'll kill me? You've failed once before." Hotaru grinned darkly, making Avaa shiver.

"I've become stronger, much stronger," he said.

He threw fire at her head, which she dodged gracefully. More flames flew at her, she jumped away again and drew her sword. Avaa ran toward Hotaru and swung the blade at his head, but he blocked the blade with his arm. It created no damage except for a small gash in the armor. Avaa backed away and swung again , this time on the opposite side of his head. This too was blocked in the same manner. Avaa aimed her sword at his torso, but Hotaru kicked it from her hands. Avaa dived for it, immediently and ran in for another attack. This time Hotaru caught her arm, pulled it behind her back and wrenched the sword from her. Avaa was now doubled over and looking at the ground. Her other arm was usless. If Hotaru wasn't wearing armor, she would have elbowed him in the stomach, but he was.

This was the end. After all the training she did, it hadn't worked at all! Avaa felt incrediably stupid. Pathetic! Hotaru hadn't even broken a sweat! Hotaru pulled her hair to one side to expose her neck. She shivered as it moved and she felt Hotaru's cold hand on it.

"You've been a nusience for too long," Hotaru whispered in her ear,"I hope you enjoy seeing your mother again." Avaa felt the sword blade lift from the back of neck. Her heart started to pound and the color drain from her face. She closed her eyes tightly and waited for the impact, but it never came because Hotaru was interupted.

"Stop! Let her go!" Avaa opened her eyes, dispite the fact that all she could see was the ground.

"Dp you seriously think I'll take orders from **you**?"Hotaru chuckled.

"I won't tell you again. Let her go!" Zuko demanded. Avaa couldn't help but think that Zuko could have done something a lot sooner, but better late than never. Especially if your life is flashing before your eyes.

"I don't believe you're in the postion to be giving orders,"

"I guess we'll do it the hard way," Zuko threw fire at Hotaru, making him let go of Avaa.

She stood up and Hotaru returned fire (No pun intended), which Zuko dodged easily. Avaa searched franicly for her sword. Zuko kicked more flames at Hoatru, and he blocked them by crossing his arms infront of him. Avaa barely dodged flames aimed at Zuko and spotted her sword. It was laying at Hotaru's feet. She cursed and dived infront of Hotaru. Luckly, Hotaru was very distracted.

"You know," Hotaru said after a particularly close call,"I might just kill you too,"

"I'd like to see you try unconcious," Avaa said before knocking him out with the hilt of her sword. To Avaa's great pleasure, Hotaru fell like a tree and landed face first in mud. She smiled smugly at her brother.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks to you," she replied. Zuko stepped foreword and nudged Hotaru's head with his boot.

"What do we do with him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Avaa said,"I'm extremely tempted to leave him exactly like he is, but he mind be able to find us again." Zuko nodded.

"Let's move him somewhere far away from here," He bent over and turned Hotaru on his back and picked him up by the shoulders. Avaa grabbed his legs, but Iroh came over and took one.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"I would have helped, but Zuko seemed to have everything under control," he replied.

Together, the three of them moved Hotaru a good distance from where they started. They lay him down on his back in a puddle.

"There," Iroh said wiping his brow, which didn't do much because it was still raining.

"Something's not right here," Avaa said studying Hotaru intently. She flipped him over so his face was in the mud again,"Much better." Iroh shook his head, but smiled and Zuko chuckled a little.

--

**And our antagonist appears! This probably sounds alot like Itachi and Sasuke. I know. But as soon as I got the story together in my head I realized that. But Avaa isn't revenge obsessed(sp .) and Itachi isn't out to kill Sasuke, so it's a little different. **

**Again, tell me what you think!**


	3. The Student Becomes The Teacher

**Nothing to say except for the whole disclaimers stuff. **

**Enjoy!**

--

The Student Becomes the Teacher

Avaa leaned against a tree and watched Zuko train with Iroh. Two days had passed since they met up with Hotaru. Luckly, they seemed to have lost him for the time being, but Avaa was still very wary about her surroundings. Every twig breaking made her look over her shoulder.

Zuko blocked fire sent to him by Iroh and returned the attack.

"Remember to breathe, Zuko," Iroh told him. Without thinking Avaa rolled her eyes and mumbled,

"Must be hard to remember to breathe," Immedently after the words left her mouth, she regreted them. Zuko looked over his shoulder and glared at her. Avaa lowered her gaze and didn't rise it again until Zuko went back to training.

_Zuko's really good. _Avaa thought. _I wonder who would've won the other day. _She frowned and cursed herself again for being beaten by Hotaru. Even after all the training she went through, she was she beaten to the point she had to rescued. Avaa compressed her lips tightly and balled her hands into fists.

_Hotaru walked toward the front door to train in the garden. He reached for the handle, but stopped. Tiny footsteps approached him. Hotaru turned around and saw his five-year-old sister running to him. Her black hair trailed behind her, trying to keep up, and her brown eyes shone brightly. Avaa and Hotaru looked alot like their father, but Avaa acted so much like Kaiya. _

_"Where are you going?" Hotaru asked her after rolling his eyes. _

_"I'm going to go with you to train. I've got to get stronger too," she said. _

_"But you're not a bender," Hotaru said. _

_"So?" Avaa furrowed her brow and crossed her arms infront of her. _

_"So you can't come. You'll just get in the way," Hotaru turned to the door again. _

_"I will not!" Avaa stamped her foot and uncrossed her arms,"I want to fight just like you." Hotaru smirked and faced his sister again. _

_"Just like me, eh? You can't master simple hand-to-hand combat moves, let alone advanced firebending techniques," _

_"I'm at the top of my sword fighting class," Avaa said._

_"A sword against benders? Please," Hotaru rolled his eyes again,"Face it, little sister, you'll never be as good as me,"_

_"I will so! I'll beat you one day! You'll see!" Hotaru chuckled as he opened the door. _

_"I highly doubt that, little sister, but it will be fun to see you try" Hotaru stepped outside and closed the door. Avaa glared at the closed door with her hands in fists. _

_"I __**will**__ beat you. I will!" _

"Let's take a break, Zuko," Iroh said. Zuko nodded and dropped his stance. Avaa came out of her thoughts and looked up. Zuko stood infront of her with narrowed eyes.

"What?" she asked the little more sharply than she had intended.

"That comment you said earlier wasn't nessasary," he told her," I have enough people on my case already, without you adding to it,"

"Wait a minute. I didn't mean anything," Zuko raised his eyebrow skeptically.

"You didn't?"

"No, I'm sorry. Sometimes I think out loud."

"You were still thinking it,"

"Well, how do you think it would sound to someone who hasn't been exposed to much firebending?"

"You said Hotaru and your father were both benders."

"And I haven't seen my father in how long?" she asked with a little venom,"Anyway I wasn't allowed to watch my brother train. My parents were worried I'd get burned by some stray flames or something." Zuko looked at her doubtfuly. Avaa sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry. I regreted saying that before you ever glared at me. Ive been on edge lately, but it's no excuse, I shouldn't have said anything." Zuko studied her eyes intently. He did that a lot, not that Avaa said stupid things everyday. Zuko just seemed to not trust her very well.

"Whatever," he said after breaking his gaze.

"While we're on the subject of firebending," Avaa said,"I was wondering if you could teach me," Zuko looked at her like she sprouted an additional head.

"Firebending?" he asked. Avaa nodded. "You're not a bender. I can't teach you."

"It's hand-to-hand combat anyone can learn it," Avaa countered.

"You do fine with your sword. What do you want to learn firebending for?"

"Hotaru beat me without breaking a sweat! I can't fight him using a sword,"

"Are you looking for a fight now?"

"No, but,"Avaa paused,"I need to defend myself don't I?"

"I saved you once," Zuko said.

"Well, I didn't _want_ you to save me,"

"So you wanted to die back there?"

"No. I apperciate you saving my life, but I didn't want to be in the postion that I need saving."

"Well," Zuko paused," I guess you'll have to work on your sword fighting then." Avaa stared at him for a second before saying,

"I trying to tell you that I can't do it with a sword! Please, Zuko this isn't just aout defending myself this is personal. You don't know what Hotaru has done to me. I need to do this." This time she activated the eye gaze. She pleaded with her eyes and he remained unemotional. Zuko turned away and began walking back to camp. Avaa frowned and hung her head in defeat.

"Be ready for training at dawn tomarrow," Zuko said. Avaa jerked her head up and Zuko faced her with a small smile on his lips. Avaa also smiled and thanked him.

"Avaa. Avaa! Wake up, Avaa!" Avaa opened her eyes and saw Zuko kneeling beside her. She raised her eyebrow, utterly perplexed.

"What's going on?" she asked as she sat up. It was still pretty dark. The sun was just barely visable above the horizon. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Training, remember?" he asked patiently.

"Oh yeah." Avaa said, smacking her forehead with her palm.

"Now you remember."

"Sorry, I'm not quite used to waking up this early."

"You had better get used to it," Zuko said as he stood up,"You wanted this training."

"I will. I promise." Avaa said, also standing up.

She followed Zuko to their tempoary 'training grounds'. Once there, Zuko turned to Avaa.

"First, I have to see what we've got to work with," he said,"Try to hit me. It doesn't matter how, just do it." Zuko took his defensive stance. Avaa threw a punch to his head. Zuko dogded out of the way, and Avaa hit nothing but the air. She turned around and tried again with the other hand. This time Zuko deflected the attack by pushing her arm away, making Avaa stumble.

"Is that really all you've got?" Zuko asked. Avaa scowled at him. That sounded too much like her brother for her liking. She aimed a kick at him and Zuko grabbed her foot and pushed her to the ground. "Obivously we've got a lot of work to do," Avaa picked her self up.

"Now that we have that established, can we get to the important part?" she asked.

"I think you're more impatient than I am," Zuko commented.

"No just annoyed is all," Avaa replied. Zuko smirked a little.

"First, you need to take your stance. You should return to this stance after every attack, so you're ready to defend." Avaa nodded and took the same stance Zuko had. He exaimined her for a moment before stepping behind her and placing a hand on her back. "Stand up straight," he told her. Avaa straightened as far she could. Zuko stepped to her side. "Raise this arm a little." Avaa obeyed him and Zuko looked her over. "Good. Now block my attacks the best you can and return the this postion." Avaa nodded once and Zuko took his stance. He aimed a punch at Avaa's head. She dodged it , but nearly lost her balance. Her right foot moved out of postion and before she could correct it, Zuko aim another blow. She dodged ths one too, but got completely out of postion. Zuko sighed.

"Maybe we're moving a little fast." Avaa lowered her head a little. Zuko noticed this and said," I wasn't the best when I first started firebending, you'll get it." Avaa raised her eyebrow, not really believing a word of it.

"You're patronizing me aren't you?" She asked him. Zuko shrugged.

"Maybe a little, but I seriously did have trouble with it early on." Avaa shrugged also. "Get back in your stance."

Avaa did as she was told. Zuko aimed another punch at her head, whuch she dodged rather clumsily while maintaining her stance.

"You can move around, just try to get back into postion. It makes everything easier," Zuko told her. She felt her cheeks turned a little pink. She was making a complete fool of herself! This time, Avaa blocked Zuko's blow by knocking his hand out of the way. Then, Zuko swung his arm like a sword toward her head, which Avaa sucessfully blocked. After five minutes of this, Zuko backed off.

"Try attacking me again." he said. Avaa complied and aimed a blow to Zuko's head which he quickly deflected. Avaa punched foreward and Zuko turned away from her fist. She followed him and aimed another strike to the head. He blocked it and returned the attack to much of Avaa's surprise.

Soon, both were caught up in a duel. Only when Avaa had been flung to the side by Zuko did they stop.

"Not bad," he commented,"It still needs work, but you're doing pretty good." Both teenagers were breathing heavily. Avaa was so tired ahe almost didn't notice the movement in the bushes behind Zuko. Clearly, something was in them. Avaa stared at the bushes in fear.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"There's something behind you," she replied. Zuko whipped around and THUNK. Zuko hit his head on the tree branch behind him and clutched his head.

"Ugh!"

"Are you okay?" Zuko glared at her.

"No thanks to you!" he snapped. Avaa looked genuinely taken aback.

"Wha-"

"I do something nice for you and you thank me by tricking me!"

"I really saw something back there! It was-" Avaa stopped. Suri raised her head with a mouthful of leaves. _I'm going to kill her! _Avaa thought savagely.

"Your stupid ostrich-horse." Zuko finished."Training's over," he said as he walked away. Avaa frowned and turned to Suri who snorted happily about her breakfast.

"You're becoming way more trouble than you're worth!" Avaa hissed.

Zuko watched Avaa absently twist her hair around her fingers. She sat against a tree by the creek not far from camp. Avaa hadn't really spoken to him since that morning. Most likely, she was waiting for him to cool off from her trick. Which he had...kind of...a little...not really. He was still pretty mad at her.

Avaa looked up at him. For a minute it looked like she would ignore him. She turned away, sighed and stood up and faced him. At this point Zuko noticed how close the creek was from where she stood. If she fell backward, she would land fully in the water. Zuko had an idea. He wasn't usually one for revenge, but he reconized an oppertune moment when he saw one.

"Uh. About this morning," Avaa move her hair behind her ear,"I'm really-"

"Don't be sorry," Zuko cut in. She arched her eyebrow,"It was a harmless prank."

"But ,Zuko, it was an accident. I really thought something was in the bushes."

"Well, no harm done, right?"

"Right," she eyed him suspicously. _Time to act!_ Zuko thought. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her backward. Predicatably, she landed in the creek with a satisfing splash. Avaa surfaced and coughed a few times before sparateing her hair and glaring at Zuko. Zuko clutched his stomach and laughed at her.

"I take it you _haven't _forgiven me," she said sharply. Zuko stifled his laughs long enough to answer,

"No, but this helps a little." Avaa stood up and wrung the water out of her hair.

"I knew you were a hot-head, but his is ridiculous. Real mature." She stepped out of the crek and crossed her arms.

"And what you did was?" Zuko asked fully recovered from his laugh. Avaa groaned and uncrossed her arms.

"It was an _accident. _I already told you that!" Zuko smirked.

"And how do you know what I did wasn't an accident?" Avaa gaped at him before saying,

"You're impossible! I don't know why I put up with you! I'm leaving first thing tomarrow morning." Zuko blinked at her and watched her storm back to camp. This wasn't supposed to happen. He didn't want to drive Avaa off. Wait...why didn't he want to? Zuko comptemplated this as he walked after Avaa.

Iroh looked up from his tea as Avaa passed him.

"What happened?" he asked her. Avaa jabbed her thumb in Zuko's direction and said,

"Ask him."Iroh looked at Zuko, who avoided his gaze. Iroh shook his head and sipped his tea.

Avaa patiently pulled her comb through her now tangled hair. She winced when she caught a knot, but gently pulled it out. Zuko and Iroh had left for the clearing at sundown. They had been training for about two hours now. Avaa had started the fire and was sitting against Suri. Despite what she had told Zuko, Avaa had no intention of leaving. She had a habit of saying things she didn't mean.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Zuko and Iroh walked back to camp.

"I'm so stupid!" Zuko said. Avaa smirked and set her comb down.

"Good to see we're on the same page," she said. If looks could kill Zuko would be guilty of murder,"I'm kidding. What happened?"

"I got burned," Zuko replied," I **never **get burned! This hasn't happened since I was nine!" Zuko blurted out before Iroh could explain.

"Let me see," Avaa said. Zuko rolled his eyes and held out his arm. The burn wasn't that bad, it would blister, but it would heal completely.

"You're overracting, Zuko. It's not that bad," Avaa told him.

"How can I possibly beat Azula if I get burned during training?" Avaa reached in her saddle bag and pulled out a corked jar.

"I'd be alot more cornerned if it was another scar," she said. She didn't noticed Zuko wince at the comment. She uncorked the jar and the perfumed smell that was contained in the it, now floated around the campsite. Zuko frowned.

"Lavender," he said.

"Is that okay?" Avaa asked. She dipped her finger in the jar and waited for a response.

"Yeah, I just don't have very good memories connected with it." Avaa rubbed the oil on her finger on the burn and said,

"Probably not." She heard Zuko breathe in sharply when she touched the wound. She found herself massaging the oil into his arm comfortingly. Avaa felt her cheeks heat up a little.

"You know I used dozens of jars of lavender on the kids in the Freedom Fighters. It would amaze you how easily blasting jelly backfires," Avaa told them.

"Were you like the medic?" Zuko asked. She nodded.

"Pretty much. Isano taught me all I know about herbs, and it got put to good use there."

"Isano?" Iroh asked.

"She's the one who raised me after my parents died. She was the village herbalist and taught me how to use herbs, and how to cook." Iroh smiled. Avaa recorked the jar and began to banage Zuko's arm.

"There," she said tying it off," The lavender should have helped with the pain."

"It did," Zuko replied,"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Avaa looked up at him. She noticed how beautiful Zuko's golden eyes looked. The orange fire light really made them gleam. Suddenly, Avaa noticed how close they were. Their noses were only about an inch apart. She felt the urge to lean in and- **What was she thinking?! **Avaa quickly lowered her gaze and turned away to put away the jar of lavender. She flet her face burn.

"Is there anything I can say to make you stay?" Zuko asked. She blushed even more.

"What?! You're leaving?!" Iroh exclaimed," You two don't tell me anything!" He crossed his arms.

"I wasn't going to. If I was that would've helped me change my mind," The corners of Zuko's mouth twitched upwards,"Maybe **now **could you forgive me?"

"Yes, I forgive you," Zuko replied,"Do you forgive me?" Avaa nodded.

"Yes." She lay back on Suri and looked up at the starry sky before closing her eyes.

"Be ready for training tomarrow," Zuko told her. Avaa sat back up and smirked.

"I wouldn't miss it."

--

**Hmmm... could Avaa have a crush on Zuko?**

**Avaa: NO! **

**Uh huh. **

**Review! Review!**


	4. The River Lullaby

**Okay, this time we get a look at what Kaiya was like. This is a kinda emo-ish chapter but it's one of my favorites.**

**Disclaimers. I own only my characters.**

**Enjoy!**

**--**

**The River Lullaby**

_"__**Father!**__" Avaa cried as she watched her father fall to the ground. Tears rolled down her face. __**Hotaru, why? **_

_"Avaa!" Avaa turned around to face her mother, Kaiya. "We have to leave," Kaiya told her daughter. _

_"But, Father!" she cried as her mother lead her away. Kaiya turned around._

_"Honey, he-," Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away so she wouldn't fighten her daughter more. _

_"I can't leave him behind," Avaa told her mother. _

_"Avaa, we have to leave. Don't ask questions just run." Kaiya said sternly. Avaa looked at her father again, then nodded at her mother. Both mother and daughter broke into a run out of the house, into the village square. _

_They both gasped at their village burning. Avaa stared in horror as her cousins and aunts were killed by her brother. Kaiya snapped out of the trance and ran for the river with her daughter in tow. _

_Kaiya stopped at the bank and knelt with her daughter in the reeds. She took the pendant from her neck and placed it around Avaa's. _

_"Mother, why did Hotaru do this?" Avaa asked. _

_"He's lost his way," Kaiya said. Avaa looked into her mother's eyes._

_"Mother, I'm scared." Kaiya wiped a tear from her daughter's cheek. _

_"Follow the river. Follow it far away from here," _

_"What about you?" _

_"Your life is more important than mine,"_

_"No, I won't go! Not without you!" Kaiya looked at her daughter. She hugged her while Avaa cried._

_"Hush, now my baby. Be still ,love, don't cry. Sleep as you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember my last lullaby, so I'll be with you when you dream," Kaiya sang. She let go of her six-year-old and kissed her forehead. Avaa gave her mother one last look before slipping into the river and swimming away. "River,O river, flow gently for me. Such preicous cargo you bear. Do you know somewhere she can live free? River, deliver her there." _

_She heard Hotaru coming through the reeds but she made no attempt to run away. Hotaru grabbed her arm and brought her face level to his. _

_"Where is she?" he asked her quietly. Kaiya just narrowed her eyes and said nothing. _

_"__**WHERE IS SHE?!**__" Hotaru bellowed, " __**Where is the girl you made me call sister?!**__" Kaiya forced herself not to look down stream. She couldn't give her away. Hotaru screamed with rage and flung Kaiya on the ground. _

_He gave her a cold look before throwing fire at her, killing her instantly. He turned to the east, the way the river flowed, and whispered,_

_"I'll find you little sister. You can't hide forever." _

**Ten years later... **

Zuko looked at Avaa again; she still stared into the distance, lost in her thoughts. She was starting to worry him, she usally talked with Iroh or hummed while she rode her ostrich-horse. But, today they rode in silence. Avaa caught his gaze; he gave her a worried look, which she replied with a very small smile. So small, the corners of her mouth barely twitched.

"Are you okay, Avaa?" he asked, "You've been really quiet,"

"I'm fine," She told him. He didn't believe it, but he knew he couldn't get anything else out of her. He had asked that question twice that day, already,and didn't get more than what she had just told him. "Uncle, do you know what's wrong with Avaa?" Iroh looked at the girl.

"It's today." he whispered.

"What is?" Iroh looked back at Zuko.

"The tenth anniversary of her family's death," Iroh told him. Zuko looked back at Avaa. "You know her family's origins, don't you?"

"Yes, her mother was Earth Kingdom and her father and half-brother were Fire Nation." Iroh nodded.

"Her brother was very angry with his father for marrying an Earth Kingdom woman. Hotaru believed his father was a tratior to the Fire Nation. Instead of sending him to a Fire Nation prison, he decided to kill everyone in their village relatated to him or his step-mother."

"Why would he do that?" Zuko asked.

"I've heard of Hotaru, he was close to a soldier that we knew once." Iroh waited for Zuko to guess who it was.

"Don't tell me it was Zaho," Zuko said after a moment's slience.

"It was," Iroh said. Zuko grimaced. " He killed most of the village in one night; and Zaho helped him."

Zuko's eyes narrowed as his blood boiled. "Avaa escaped because her mother snuck her to the river close to her village. She was never found by her brother."

"Her mother?"

"She was killed after Avaa escaped," Zuko loked back at Avaa who was wiping her eyes.

The sky had turned deep orange and the sun red.

"Do we find camp tonight?" Avaa asked.

"We'll keep riding," Iroh replied. As they rode, Zuko noticed Avaa take an interest in the river. Her eyes darted from rocks to trees. She looked up river and saw something that made her gasp.

"What's wrong?" Iroh asked her. She ignored him and continued to gaze at the unknown object in wonder.

"Avaa," Iroh said, trying to get her attention. She said nothing but speed up until both ostrich-horses were running. She stopped suddenly at a patch of reeds just like any other.

Avaa dismounted her ostirch-horse and stroked a tree.

"It's still here," she murmured.

"What is?" Zuko asked dismounting.

"The bridge," she replied, " The one Lira and I bulit." Zuko didn't say anything but looked at her with confusion. Her face fell when she looked across the bank. Zuko and Iroh followed her gaze to a area filled with cattails. She stepped across the bridge and looked sadly at the reeds. Zuko and Iroh followed her.

"What's wrong, Avaa?" Iroh asked. Zuko looked at her with concern. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.

"Avaa-" Zuko started but Avaa cut him off by saying,

"My village is down that way," They followed her finger and saw a cluster of small wooden houses. Zuko immediently knew the source of her sadness. She said nothing and started walking toward her village. Zuko looked to his uncle, unsure if they should follow. Iroh nodded and they followed Avaa down the old dirt path.

Zuko could see the village alot better now, it looked like any other Earth Kingdom village. The houses were made of wood, the roof tops were green. He turned to Avaa. She was looking straight ahead, at her former home.

As they walked through the village some of the older women glared at them. Young mothers ushered their children away and gave them fearful looks.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked Iroh and Avaa. Iroh turned his palms up.

"I don't know," Avaa told him, clearly just as confused as he was.

"Now you show up," a bitter voice said. They turned left and saw a young woman, no older than Avaa and Zuko, glaring at them. Avaa smiled at the woman ignoring her glare.

"Lira!" Lira had bright sea-green eyes and short dark brown hair.

"You have alot of guts coming back here, Avaa," she snarled. Avaa looked at her old friend strangely.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's your family's fault that we suffered," Avaa still looked confused. "**Your** brother killed my little sister to get information out of my mother and almost killed me,"

"How is that my fault?"

"Your's and your mother's. If she hadn't married Suoh and had you, Hotaru wouldn't have gone crazy and I would still have a father!" Avaa's eyes narrowed.

"Don't you dare blame my mother! She had no control over Hotaru's actions,"

"Your mother set Hotaru off, and I don't balme him. Kaiya betrayed us by marrying Fire Nation scum," Avaa's eyes were slits. "We all lost family because of your brother, and we all balme you and your family." The once good friends glared at each other. Avaa turned away and walked down the road, still scowling.

Zuko looked at Avaa, tears filled her brown eyes.

"Don't listen to her," he told her," She doesn't know what she's talking about." Avaa said nothing, but let a few tears run down her cheeks.

"Ouch!" Avaa cried. They spun around to see a young boy with a handful of rocks. He threw another at Avaa and said,

"Go away! We don't want you here!" Zuko glared at the boy.

"Leave her alone," The boy glared back and threw a rock at Zuko before running off. Zuko clentched his fists and turned away. They continued to walk down the road.

Zuko felt a raindrop hit his head. Avaa turned right and Zuko and Iroh followed. They approached a house, it looked abandoned. Avaa walked up the steps and opened the door. It was raining harder now and they went inside. The room had a large layer of dust on everything.

"Is this-?" Iroh began.

"My house," Avaa finished. Zuko looked around, it looked like it was very welcoming when it was new. He imagined a younger Avaa laughing and playing here. Happy, and with her mother and father. She must have been remembering the same thing because she stared into space with a small smile on her lips. She came out of her trace when she felt his gaze on her. Avaa smiled at him weakly before walking down a dark hallway. Zuko followed her into a bedroom. The sheets on the bed were rumpled, like somone had forgotten to make their bed. He spotted a few old toys in the corner of the room. This was Avaa's room. She ran her fingers across her pillow.

Zuko wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. She walked across the room and picked up a picture and smiled. Zuko walked to side, she let him see it. Her family. Her father and brother looked alot alike. Avaa looked alot like her father espically her eyes.

"Your mother is very beautiful," he told her. Avaa smiled but didn't take her eyes off the photo.

"Avaa," Zuko and Avaa turned to the doorway where Iroh was standing. "I found your parents' graves," he said quietly. Avaa and Zuko followed Iroh to the garden, which was full of weeds and wildflowers. A pond was filled with leaves and algae. Under a cheery tree sat a upright marble slab covered in weeds.

Iroh and Zuko hung back while Avaa knelt infront of the marker. She ran her fingers over the names. Zuko stepped foreword to her side.

_**Souh & Kaiya**_

_**Mother and Father to Avaa and Hotaru.**_

Zuko heard Avaa sob. He knelt beside her and took her hand. She looked at him in surprise, but Zuko's expression didn't change.

"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. She sobbed again and threw her arms around him. Zuko recoiled at first, but then wrapped his arms around her. The rain poured down on them as they knelt infront of the graves. Iroh put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're lucky that's there," Avaa let go of Zuko and turned to face Lira, standing under an umberella. Avaa's eyes narrowed and she stood up.

"Why can't you leave us alone, Lira?" Avaa asked bitterly," I've wanted to come back here for ten years, but now, I can't stand being here."

"Go then," Lira told her. She held her hand out to the street, "You're not wanted here anyway."

"I know that, but I'm going to stay longer," Avaa told in matter-of-factly tone. Lira's sneer turned into a scowl. "You have no right to run me out of **my** house." Iroh and Zuko smiled at Lira as she stomped away. Which was a bad idea, because she got soaked in the process. Avaa turned back to her parnets' graves and started pulling weeds. Iroh and Zuko bent over and helped her.

Once they were finished Avaa pressed her fingers to her lips, then set them onto the marble marker.

"I love you," She turned to the two men. "Let's go," As they walked out of the garden Zuko saw Avaa wipe her eye.

"Are you okay?," he asked her. She nodded.

"I'm fine," He belived it this time.

--

**Review please.**


	5. The Destination

**This is more or less a filler chapter, but important all the same. **

**I own only my characters.**

**--**

The Destination

Zuko, Iroh, and Avaa rode through the wilderness, like any other day. Even though there were still trees and bushes around, Avaa could tell they were approaching a desert. Much to Avaa's displeasure, it was getting increasingly hotter. She noticed that Zuko and Iroh weren't in much better shape. Zuko kept wiping his brow, looking up at the sun and shaking his head. Iroh was making his discomfort very known by moaning very loudly.

Zuko looked at Avaa and let out an exasperated sigh. Avaa shrugged in response.

"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko said.

"No, Please don't stop for me!" Iroh falsely protested. Iroh groaned until the ostrich-horse had stopped and he had dismounted.He sat on a large flat rock and Zuko and Avaa also dismounted. Avaa stretched her legs and noticed Suri prick up her ears. She looked at Zuko, his ostrich-horse had done the same. Avaa drew her sword and Zuko took his defensive stance. Avaa was still learning firebending, but she still fought best with her sword.

"What now?" Iroh growled.

As if on cue, five kimodo rhinos barreled their way through the undergrowth. The biggest one stomped and left an enormous crack in the earth. It's rider pulled on the reins to steady it. Iroh smiled and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder.  
"Colonel Mongke!" he said," What a pleasant surprise."

"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps," the man who's rhino made the crack said. He created sparks with his bracers to intimidate them. Avaa didn't know about Zuko or Iroh, but _she_ was throughly intimidated. Despite that, she kept a cool face and tightened her grip on her sword.

"You know these guys?" Zuko asked.

"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legandary. Each one is a different kind of weapon's speicalist," Iroh answered,"They are also a very capable singing group." Avaa snorted, earning a death glare from Mongke.

"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!" Mongke snapped.

"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh asked,"I'd love some. How about you Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?" Mongke narrowed his eyes.

"Enough stalling! Round 'em up!" he barked.

"What about the girl?" a warrior asked. Mongke studied Avaa and said,

"We could always use another slave," he said. Avaa smirked despite her racing heart.

"You'll have to catch us first," she said. The warriors took this as the cue to attack. The dark skinned one swung his ball and chain at Iroh. Iroh kicked it back at him and it wrapped itself around the leg of another rhino. Iroh dodged fire blasts by rolling on the ground. He quickly stood back up and smacked the chained rhino's rump. It ran off dragging the dark skinned warrior behind it by his belt, as well as the rhino's rider. Iroh smiled and waved at them as they disappeared into the distance.

The archer shot a flaming arrow at Zuko's back, but he sensed it and broke it in half as it approached him. Then, he threw fire at the archer. the flames burned the bow and the string. Meanwhile, Avaa deflected a blow from another swordsman. She swung diagonally at the warrior's head but he blocked the attack. The swordsman swng his blade straight down at Avaa. If she hadn't blocked it, she would have been sliced in half. She pushed the enemy sword away and counterattacked horizontally. He blocked the blow, but Avaa twisted the sword from his hands. Then, she jumped on the rhino and knocked him unconcious.

Mongke shot many fire blasts at Iroh, but he deflected each one. Zuko jumped Mongke's rhino and very briefly dueled with him. Mongke was on the ground in seconds. Iroh rode by on his ostich-horse followed by Avaa on Suri. Iroh picked Zuko up at the rhino and all three of them rode off. The last warrior stnading threw a gernade at them in a desperate attempt to slow them down. They rode through the explosion with out a problem.

"It's nice to see old friends," Iroh, commented.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you," Zuko said.

"Hmm...Old friends that don't want to attack me..." Iroh said thoughtfully. Zuko turned to Avaa.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You know they're probably after you now too." Avaa shrugged.

"Oh well, I've had Hotaru after me for _years_. It doesn't bother me."

After a three and a half hour ride they were completely in the desert. Avaa felt smothered by the heat. Even though they all had pulled their hats on, they did little to cool them.

"At least it's not humid," Avaa muttered.

"We're not far from it now," Iroh told them.

"Where exactly are we going?" Avaa asked him.

"You'll see." Avaa sighed and looked at Zuko. He shrugged. She lowered her hat and cursed the heat.

"Ah we're here," Iroh said. Avaa looked up and saw a small cluster of buildings around a block of ice.

"Where's here?" Zuko asked before Avaa could.

"Here." Avaa and Zuko sighed.

"Thanks for clarifying," Avaa mumbled. They stopped their ostirch-horses, dismounted and followed Iroh into a bar.

The bar was much cooler than it was outside, so Avaa was more than willing to follow Iroh's lead and sit at a table.

"Hey!" the bartender called. All three heads turn toward him,"Do you guys want a drink?"

"We would but we don't have any money. Thank you anyway," Iroh said.

"No one here is going to help us," Zuko said after a survey of the room,"These people just look like filthy wanders." Avaa frowned.

"You know I've been wandering around for over a year," she said.

"And?" Zuko asked. Avaa compressed her lips and was about to retort, but Iroh cut in.

"Don;t you two start," he said sternly,"Ah," Iroh lightened,"this is interesting. I think I've found our friend." Iroh pointed at an old man sitting at a Pai Sho table. Avaa arched her eyebrow skeptically, but followed Iroh.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked.

"I don't think this is a gamble," Iroh said.

"Besides," Avaa said,"we don't have any money, remember?" Zuko shrugged.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked. The man gestured at the board and said,

"The guest has the first move." Iroh placed the lotus tile in the center of the board. Avaa smiled becuase that was always her first move. When she was little anyway, she hadn't played Pai Sho in ages.

The man looked at the tile intently before saying,

"I see youfavor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways." Avaa didn't know about any ancient ways, but she had always moved with the white lotus tile first becuase she thought it was prettiest.

"Those who do will always find a friend," Iroh said. Avaa made note of that.

"Then, let us play." The old man put down a tile, and Iroh quickly followed suit. Zuko sat down and watched them place tile after tile. Avaa stood and watched in utter bewilderment. They had broken several rules. _What are they doing?_

Finally, they stopped placing tiles. Avaa blinked at the shape the tiles formed on the board. It was a lotus, with the white lotus tile in the center.

"Welcome brother," the old man said smiling," The White Lotus opens wide to those who know he secerets."

"Hmm...and to think I put the white lotus first because I thought it was pretty," Avaa said to herself.

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko asked.

"I always tried to tell you Pai Sho is more than just a game," Iroh said as he rolled a tile across his knuckles and clutched it.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!" Avaa turned around,"It's over! You two fugities and your friend are coming with me!" A very, very tall muscular man with long black hair grabbed Avaa's arm. A smaller man with large lips stood behind him.

"I knew it!" the old Pai Sho player said," You three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko said.

"He is. Just watch." Iroh replied calmly.

"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" the man continued.

"Gold?" the rest of the men simonatously ask. Some of them pulled out knives or swords and approached the six of them.

"Uh...maybe we shouldn't," the man with big lips said. Two men suddenly jumped infront of the black-haired man. He flung Avaa to the side and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick, bending a rock and knocking the men away. The other man created quicksand and made someone sink into the ground up to his neck. The black-haired man held someone in the air and held another man back. more men charged at him, but he kicked them away. hen, he flung the two men in his hands away. One hit the wall behind the bar and one flew out the window.

Zuko quickly pulled Avaa up and they, along with Iroh and the Pai Sho player ran out the door.

"No one's on our side are they?" Avaa said as they ran.

"No one in the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation anyway." Iroh replied.

After a rather short ride the four of them arrived at a small village near the edge of the desert. The old Pai Sho lead them to a building and quickly ushered them inside. The room was filled with flowers, including lotuses. Avaa smiled and storked a snow-white petal.

"It's an honor to welcome such a high ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand master, you must know so many secrets," the old man said.

"Now that you've played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some _real_ help?" Zuko asked.

"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh said,"He is not an initate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." The old man knocked on a door in the very back and a window in the middle slid open.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" A voice asked Iroh.

"One who has eatne the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh replied. The door opened and Iroh and the Pai Sho playerentered. Zuko and Avaa tried to follow them, but the door was shut in their faces. Iroh slide open the window.

"I'm afraid it's members only," he told them,"Wait out here." He shut the window again. Zuko frowned and crossed his arms.

"Brillant," Avaa muttered, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Zuko leaned over a plant and sniffed it. Avaa pressed her ear to the door and strained to hear the men inside. Zuko uncrossed his arms.

"Do you hear anything?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. They were mostly greeting each other. Then, she heard what sounded like footsteps approaching the door. Before she could pull away the window slid open for a third time. Slowly, she looked up at the pair of eyes staring at her. Iroh gave her a gentle scolding look and she scooted away from the door. The window closed. Avaa scowled at it,but didn't try to listen in again.

"Now what?" she asked.

"We wait." Zuko replied recrossing his arms. Avaa looked around at the plants and one caught her eye. A rose bush sat in a pot, blooming with yellow and orange flowers. Avaa smiled and sniffed a blossom.

"They have my favorite flowers," she murmured. Right beside the rose bush, was a cherry tree sapling,"and Mom's." Avaa remembered that she had forgotten to do something the other day.

"Zuko?" He turned his eyes toward her," I never really thanked you for the other day, back at ny village... so, thank you."

"You're welcome. I know what it's like to lose your mother," Zuko said. Avaa nodded but didn't inquire further.

Eventually, the two of them fell asleep while waiting. Zuko was slumped over a pot and Avaa was leaning against the wall and hugged her knees. When the door opened the teenagers awoke.

Avaa blinked against the light emitting from the windows. It was about late morning. Was the meeting really just ending now?

"What's going on?" Zukoasked in his defensive stance,"Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken car of. We're going to Ba Sing Se," Iroh said.

"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko and Avaa asked in unison.

"Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Zuko asked.

"The city is filled with refugees," the old Pai Sho player said,"No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city," Iroh continued.

"It took you all night just to figure this out?" Avaa asked him. Before Iroh could explain, another White Lotus member entered the flower shop.

"I have passports for our guests, but there are two men on the streets looking for them," he said. They all looked out the window in the door. The two men from the bar showed a wanted poster to a man walking by.

"You seen these guys?" the taller one asked,"They're with a black-haired girl." All three of them looked at each other.

"Well, anyone got any ideas?" Avaa asked.

"Acually," the second White Lotus member said,"I do." He patted the pot Zuko had been sleeping on. The trio caught on and smiled at each other.

Zuko, Iroh ,and Avaa each climbed into a pot and the White Lotus members put another, smaller, flower pot on it. They were about to set off, when Avaa remebered something important. She pushed on the smaller pot.

"Wait," the White Lotus members turned to her,"Could you take care of my ostrich-horse, the female, for me? She's been my only friend for a long time and I can't just abandon her." They smiled kindly at her.

"Of course. She'll be in good hands, we promise." The old Pai Sho player told her. Avaa smiled also.  
"Thank you."

" It's no trouble." Avaa sank back into the pot. Before long they were safely on their way to Ba Sing Se.

--

**Off to Ba Sing Se!!**

**Next chapter, Avaa will meet up with a old friend... **


	6. Second Chances

**This is one of the more interesting chapters...**

**I own only my characters.**

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Second Chances

Avaa, Zuko, and Iroh stood in line to get on the ferry. They had gotten in okay, and without much trouble. The customs woman had to have another person check their passports, which made Avaa hold her breath until she was dizzy.

Avaa was now clear-headed again, and much calmer. She looked around her in amazement. The building was huge and was filled to the brim with people.

"This place is hugmonous!" Avaa said out loud,"And there are more people her than in every village I've been in out together!" Iroh smiled.

"Just wait unitl we get into the city. This is nothing compared to it," Iroh told her. Avaa's eyes widened like a child's would. Zuko sent her a curious look.

"Are you really that amazed by this place?" he asked. Avaa shrugged.

"I've never left the country-side. This is all new to me."

A merchant with a cart of cabbages passed by them. Avaa looked at the ostrich-horse pulling the load and felt a pang of guilt. She had never really said goodbye to Suri. She just left. Not that she had any choice in it, but still...

"I hope Suri's okay," she said. She followed the ostich-horse with her eyes unitl is disappeared among the crowd. Iroh put a hand on her shoulder.

"You left her in good hands. The Order of the White Lotus always does what's asked of them." Avaa gave him a small smile.

"I just wish I could've said goodbye. I mean, she was my only family for over a year."

"We are all starting new lives. Me, you and Lee," he used Zuko's alias because they were in close proximity to other people,"in Ba Sing Se. And Suri in Misty Palm Springs." Avaa smiled wider. "We three are family now."

"Thanks Mushi."She said.Iroh patted her on the back.

"You're quite welcome."

After another ten minutes of waiting they boarded the ferry.

"I'm going to look around,okay?" Avaa said.

"What is there to see?" Zuko asked her. She shrugged.

"I'm curious."

"Curiousity killed the cat-owl,"Iroh said.

"What trouble could I possibly get in to?" Zuko smirked.

"I'm sure you'll find some," he said. Avaa shot him a playful glare from over her shoulder.

A group of women came around and passed out bowls of food. Zuko took one and muttered his thanks. Iroh looked out at the inlet solomly.

"Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd come back to the scene of my greatest military disgrace...as a tourist?" As he said the last part, he donned a flowery straw hat.

"Look around," Zuko said,"we're not tourists we're refugees." He took a sip from the wooden bowl. The food tasted like moldy, soggy, bread soaked in sour milk. Immidently, Zuko spat it over the railand into the water.

"Urgh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt... I'm tired of living like this."

"Aren't we all?" a smooth voice asked. Zuko turned to a tall, teenage boy with brown hair and pencil thin eyebrows.

"My name's Jet," he said,"and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." He gestured to the kids on either side of him.

"Hey," the smaller one said. The other one meerly nodded. Zuko turned around again.

"Hello," he said. Jet took a step foreword.

"Here's the deal. I hear the Captian's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed of his scraps. Doesn't seem fair does it?"

"What sort of 'king' is he eating like?' Iroh asked.

"The fat, happy kind," Jet replied. Iroh's mouth hung open and dribble fell from it,"You want to help us liberate some food?" Jet asked Zuko. Zuko comtemplated it for a moment. _What have I got to lose?_ He chucked the bowl into the lake, turned around, and said,

"I'm in."

"What are **you** doing here?!" Zuko turned to see Ava staring at Jet, Longshot ,and Smellerbee. She paled for a moment, but her face soon flushed red with anger.

"Avaa!" Jet and Smellerbee exclaimed. Avaa narrowed her eyes and glared at them.

"What are you doing here?!" Smellerbee asked.

"Didn't I ask you first?"

"You're alive!" Jet said, completely dumbfounded. Avaa's eyes flashed.

"**No thanks to you!**" she snapped. Jet made no response, but blinked.

"You obivously know each other," Zuko said calmly.

"I thought I knew them once. Then I found out what the Freedom Fighters _really_ did," Avaa said scowling at Jet.

"We don't do things like that anymore. We've changed." Jet said. Avaa held up her hand.

"Don't give me that, Jet." she said. Jet sighed.

"Look, we're going to get some food from the kitchen," he said,"We could use your help." Avaa's lips compressed further.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" she hissed.

"Come on, Avaa. Think of how happy these people will be when we give them a decent meal."

"I don't like your methods of doing the right thing. If it's the right thing at all." Avaa told him sharply. Jet's brow furrowed this time.

"At least I'm doing something! Me, Longshot, Smellerbee, and-" he broke off and looked at Zuko. Without missing a beat Zuko replied,

"Lee."

"Lee," Jet repeated," -and Lee are going to do some good, and if you had any heart you would too." Avaa's expression faltered slightly.

"I'll never work with you again." she said.

"Fine,"Jet spat,"I suppose you take after your father after all." He turned and walked away, followed by Longshot and Smellerbee. Zuko was surprised Avaa didn't agree to help. The Avaa he knew would've lead such a expediction without hestiation. He looked her over. While her face was still contorted into a proud mask, her eyes glittered with guilt. _Interesting._ Zuko thought.

Avaa watched Jet, Zuko, Longshot, and Smellerbee creep up to the kitchen. She frowned after them. Avaa regreted not joining them, but was much too prideful to do anything with Jet.

They were up there for less than fvie minutes when they returned with sacks full of food. Jet passed out the contents of his sack to the other refugees. Longshot, Smellerbee, and Zuko joined her and Iroh. Longshot, and Smellerbee handed food to Iroh and Avaa, and took some for themselves.

"Thank you." Avaa mumbled when Longshot handed her an apple. He nodded.

"So Smellerbee, that's a unsual name for a young man," Iroh said. Avaa cringed.

"Uh-" she started.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man. **I'm a girl!**" Smellerbee said. Avaa sighed and clapped a hand to her forehead. Smellerbee shot Iroh the death glare and walked off.

"Oh, now I see! It's beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Iroh called after her. Longshot got up and folloed Smellerbee.

To Avaa's displeasure Jet joined them. She took her normal prideful posture and ignored him.

"From what I've heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall," he said.

"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh said.

"So you've been there before?" Jet asked him.

"Once, when I was a different man," Iroh said. His tone ringed with regret.

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of," Jet said. Avaa narrowed her eyes further. _No kidding._ She thought bitterly."But that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning," He turned to Avaa,"A second chance." Her eyes softened and her chin lowered, but she didn't look at him.

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances." Iroh said, looking at Zuko. Avaa studied the deck thoughtfully.

"Avaa?" she heard Jet ask. She relcutantly turned to him, "Can I talk to you?" Avaa gave a hesitant nod before following Jet to the other side of the boat.

The water beneath them looked black, save for the silver threads of moonlight. Golden orange threads of light from the latern also swam on the surface. Avaa pulled hair behind her ear against the soft breeze.

"You know," Jet said,"I regret doing that to you. I really have changed."

"It's not just me, Jet. You tortured innocent people. Most of them defenseless." Avaa paused,"I can't trust you anymore."

"I'm telling the truth, Avaa! I've realized how wrong I was." Avaa arched her eyebrow.

"Really? That didn't seem to be the case this afternoon. 'I suppose you take after your father after all.' " Jet half-smiled.

"You know how much of a temper I have. I know how much of a temper _you_ have," he said. He stepped closer,"Please give me another chance." Avaa leaned against the railing and looked out to the water.

"What makes you think you deserve one?" she asked.

"Everyone deserves one," Jet answered,"Please?"

"Don't give me the look, Jet." Avaa said. She felt him smile.

"You can't see me."

"I can feel it. Stop." Jet put a tanned hand under her chin and turned her face to his. His almond eyes glistened in the latern-light.

"You remember how happy we were. We have a chance to be happy again. Please?"

"Do you really trust me?" Jet lowered his hand.

"I do," he answered," And I **have **changed." Avaa studied his face. Not a feature told her he was lying. She sighed.

"One more chance," she said," but if you mess this up...You had better hope you never see me again." Jet smiled.

"Agreed. Hey, Lee's not your boyfriend by any chance, is he?" Avaa laughed.

"Of course not!"

"Good, 'cause then he won'y get mad if I do this." He leaned forward and kissed her. Avaa stiffened in surprise, but was kissing him back before she realized what she was doing. She didn't realize until now how much she had craved another's touch.

Zuko stared at them and blinked. One minute Avaa and Jet had been talking, then they were kissing. He sat beside Iroh, staring at them. Iroh was too busy eating to notice Jet and Avaa. Not only did it catch Zuko by surprise, but it also made him feel funny. It felt like a bubble of heat was expanding in his cheast. He wanted to rip Jet awat from Avaa and keep her by his side. He wasn't jealous. No! He **definatly **wasn't jealous!

Zuko looked away. The feeling subsided. _Maybe now I can think straight._ He was not jealous. Avaa could kiss whoever she pleased. But why did he feel this way? Could he possibly be in love with Avaa?** NO!** What was he thinking?! He wasn't in love with Avaa! Agni help the man that ever fell in love with her.

Zuko looked back up and saw Avaa talking with Jet again. He strained to hear her words, but heard nothing. Jet answered and they returned to him and Iroh.

"We shouldn't have done that," Avaa said after pulling away, "I'm willing to trust you, but I don't think we should start another relationship." Jet smiled.

"I can understand that," he said,"But I'm ready to start where we left off when you are." They walked back to the others. Jet continued to Longshot and Smellerbee, and Avaa sat beside Zuko. She turned to him and gave him a friendly smile, but she saw anger in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine." Avaa narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"Lee-" she started.

"Were you planning on telling me you had a thing for Jet? This afternoon you're at each other's throats, then you're _**kissing**_?" Avaa blinked, not expecting a response.

"We _had_ a thing, but it's over," she answered.

"Then what was that just now?"

"Jet being Jet. I admit I kissed back, but it was nothing," She paused, just realizing something,"Why do you care all the sudden?" Zuko paused also. As if he was thinking the same thing.

"I don't want you to do anything stupid," he said finally.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. But it is nice to know that you care." Avaa smiled. Zuko raised his eyebrow.

"I just don't want to have to save you again," he said,"It's much too troublesome." Avaa's smile flew south. She gave him and annoyed glare. _Yeesh, Zuko is such a werid guy._

_--_

**sing song voice Zuko likes Avaa.**

**Zuko: death glare**

**Well you know the drill, review!**


	7. The Mirror of Knowing

**This is another one of my favorite chapters. I worked incredibly hard on this one.**

**(You can skip this part) I own only my characters. **

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The Mirror of Knowing

Avaa looked around her in a confused frenzy. She had fallen asleep on the boat and got here. _Wherever here is. _Avaa stood in a swamp,up to her ankles in water. Mist curled around her and the gnarled trees around her.

"Zuko?," she called," Iroh? Anyone?" Nothing. A loon called in the distance,and bugs hummed in her ears. Avaa saw something from the corner of her eye and turned around quickly. She saw a wisp of mist glowing with the purest white she'd ever seen. The only thing that could compare with its brillance was the sun. "Do you know where I am?" she asked it. Normally she wouldn't speak to mist, but something made it seem intelligent, that it was looking back at her.

"What you seek lies beyond the glade. Behind the veil," the mist said in a voice that rang like a bell.

"What I seek? I'm not seeking anything. I don't even know where I am," Avaa told it. The mist faded and dimmed. "Hey! Wait! Where am I supposed to go?"

"Hope knows the way," it said before completely disappearing.

"What do you mean 'hope'?" Avaa frowned at the spot the mist was, hoping it would return. She sighed and kicked water up around her feet. _What do I do now? _Avaa paced in the murkey brown water. _Hope, hope, hope. _Was it a person? She had never heard of a person called Hope. Maybe it meant hope in the literal sense, but how could that lead the way? "Wait a mintue," She pulled her mother's pendant out of her robes. She gasped to see the character glow as brightly as the mist. Avaa turned to the left and saw the light dim. When she turned back to the direction the mist left, it glowed like the sun.

"I get it," she said smiling.

Avaa walked foreword keeping the pendant infront of her like a compass. Sloshing through the swamp water,and jumping at the occasional splash she walked foreword. Turning every once in a while to keep the pendant glowing. After what seemed like an eternity of walking Avaa stopped infront of a cave. Infront of it, rippling in a nonexsistent breeze was a veil.

Avaa glanced at the pendant. Hope glowed brighter than ever. She took a breath, pulled back the veil and stepped into the darkness. Her light gave her about three feet of visabilty in the cave. The farther in she walked the brighter the pendant glowed and the more she heard whispering. The whispers didn't frighten her, the cave had an aura of anicent knowlage. The voices whispered in a language she couldn't understand, even so she felt the wisdom that laced their words.

The pendant had started to glow so brightly she had to squint, but she kept walking. Something called her farther. The light, now shone with such a brillance she had to close her eyes. Then it went dark. Avaa opened her eyes to see a cavern covered in yellow roses, laced with deep orange around the petals. Early morning sunlight shone through a hole in the ceiling. In the center of the cavern's far wall stood a mirror. The rose vines had grown on it, wrapping their stems around the frame.

"What is this place?" Avaa asked no one.

"The Mirror of Knowing," the voice of the mist told her," You may know anything you wish,"

"I wish to know how Zuko got his scar," Avaa told the voice.

"You will only find suffering in the Fire Nation prince's past," Avaa frowned.

"I don't care, I'll understand him better this way," As soon as she said this, the roses on the mirror turned into gold metal flames. Decoartive ones, wtih ebony and ivory.

Where Avaa's reflection had once been, now stood Zuko in full Fire Nation armor, without a scar and with a ponytail. She never would have guessed it was Zuko, if she hadn't requested this memory.

_Let me in! _Zuko snapped to the guards. He had tried to enter a room that many older men were entering. Iroh entered the scene, also in Fire Nation attire.

_Prince Zuko, what's wrong? _Prince Zuko. The name was forgin to Avaa.

_I want to go into the war chamber, but the guard won't let me pass! _Zuko told his uncle. Avaa heard Zuko's voice break slightly at the end. Iroh lead Zuko a few steps away from the guards.

_You're not missing anything, trust me. These meetings are dreadfully boring. _Iroh said.

_If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I should start learning as much as I can? _Zuko asked Iroh. Zuko smiled, Avaa had rarely seen Zuko smile.

_Very well. But you must promise not to speak. These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know. _

_Thank you uncle. _Zuko said, bowing to Iroh. Iroh put his arm around Zuko's shoulder and lead him into the war chamber. The view followed Zuko and Iroh into the room, which was massive. Avaa's eyes widened at its splendor. But her attention was quickly grabbed by an old man standing beside a map of the world. The map was surrounded with many other older men, including Iroh. Zuko sat between Iroh and the general who was standing. Avaa gasped to see her brother,Hotaru,sitting among the most important men in the Fire Nation.

_The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here. _The general said pointing to a spot on the map. _A dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors, so I'm recommending the 41st divison. _

_But the 41st is entirely new recruits. How do you expect them them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion? _Another general asked the first. Avaa frowned. They were burtal to their own men.

_I don't. They'll be used as a distraction as we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait then fresh meat. _Avaa's frown deepened.

_You can't scarifice an entire divison like that! _Zuko said, jumping up,_ Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How could you betray them? _Avaa felt proud of Zuko for speaking out against this, but it didn't last long. The disapproving glares from the generals made Avaa bite her lip. He wasn't supposed to speak! The flames infront of Fire Lord Ozai grew, and Avaa could sense his anger through the years.

The scene changed to Zuko standing infront of his father, all of the generals had left, including Iroh.

_That was a complete act of disrespect! _Ozai shouted at his son, who winced at the sound of his father's voice,_ Didn't Iroh tell you not to speak? Can you not follow simple directions? _Zuko said nothing, but looked at the ground. Ozai scowled at him,_ Be ready for your Agni Kai at sunset._Zuko did nothing._ Go!_ Zuko ran out of the room.

The war room wrapped itself into a Agni Kai arena. Large crowds sat on either side and waited for the battle. Zuko knelt at the left most side of the arena, facing away from his oppent. Avaa bit her lip again as both figures turned around. Both Avaa and Zuko reconized the other man and both froze in horror. Ozai stood at the opposite end ready to fight his son.

_Please, father I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn! _Zuko begged.

_You will fight for our honor,_ Ozai said coldly. Zuko abased himself by getting on his knees. Avaa's hand flew to her mouth.

_I ment you no disrespect. I am your loyal son. _

_Rise and fight, Prince Zuko! _Ozai walked toward Zuko who was still on the floor.

_I won't fight you. _

_You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher,_ Ozai told Zuko. He was only a few feet from him now. Zuko raised his tear streaked face to his father. Avaa's eyes widened.

"I don't want to see this, **stop**!" She yelled to the mirror. But it played on, Ozai blasted fire at Zuko's face. Zuko screamed in agony and the mirror filled with flames. When Avaa tore her gaze away from the mirror, the cavern was again covered with roses and her reflection was the only thing in the mirror. Her face was tear stained, like Zuko's had been. "I told you to stop!" She snapped.

"You wanted to see how he got his scar," the voice of the mist told her. It's calm tone made her angier.

"I didn't want to see him get hurt!"

"Then why did you ask for this?" Avaa scowled.

"Can you just tell me how to get back?" she asked.

"The Forest Spirit Hei Bai will be at the entrance of the cave, he'll take you back,"

"Thank you," Avaa told the voice and exited the cavern. She walked back out the cave, this time without Hope to light the way. The voices still murmured their secrets to her while she walked.

As the voice had said there was a spirit standing beside the cave. A giant panda bear waited for her.

"You're Hei Bai?" she asked. He nodded, but didn't speak. "Lead the way," The bear sat down in the water and waited for her to mount it, she did. Soon, they stopped in a familar spot of swamp. Avaa slid off and bowed to the bear. "Thank you, Hei Bai," It bowed back. He opened his mouth and a blue beam of light hit Avaa's forehead.

Iroh knelt above her when she woke up. The sun had barely emerged from the horizon.

"Youv'e been in the Spirit World," he told her," You're lucky no one pays any mind to anyone else,"

"I said things didn't I?" Avaa asked sitting up. Iroh nodded and Avaa swore quietly. "Where's Z- I mean Lee?" Iroh looked at the oppisite side of the deck,where Zuko was leaning against the railing. Avaa stood up and walked to his side. "I'm sorry," she told him quietly.

"For what?" Zuko snapped at her, "That my father did this to me?" Avaa said nothing,"I don't want any of your pity." Avaa's face hardened, but she still hurt.

"I won't give you any," she told him,"I'm sorry because you got hurt. You're my friend and I hate to think that someone has hurt you that way," Zuko's eyes softened, but he still didn't look at her,"But if you don't want any comfort, I won't give you any," Avaa said before walking away.

"How did it go?" Iroh asked Avaa. She sighed in reply and sat down beside him. "That bad? I didn't any raised voices,"

"He hates me," Avaa replied. Iroh looked at her questionly.

"I seriously doubt that. It's extremely easy to get Lee mad at you, but not to hate you,"

"Then, why is he mad at me?" she asked.

"He's not. He's mad that you've seen his weakest side. Being strong is one of the most important things to him since he got his scar."

"So being strong means that you don't accept people's help?" Avaa asked.

"No, it means that he doesn't get into the postion that he needs someone's help."

"Like if he's emotionally hurt, he won't show it because he thinks that it's weakness,"

"Exactly," Iroh said," His father called him weak for not fighting, and Lee's been like this ever since," Avaa looked out into the bay in thought.

"I don't think he's weak," she said simply. "I need to talk to him," Iroh nodded. Avaa stood up and looked for Zuko. She finally found him, standing with Jet.

"You know as soon as I saw your scar I knew who you were," Jet told Zuko. Zuko looked at Jet warily. "You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs because no one else will." Avaa felt uneasy. Jet had good intentions, but way he went about fullfiling them worried her.

"I've realized lately, that being alone isn't always the best path," Zuko replied. Avaa took it as a good sign for her, maybe he wasn't mad at her. She stepped closer to the young men and cleared her throat.

Both turned around to face her.

"Do you mind if I talk with Lee alone, Jet?" Avaa asked.

"Not at all," Jet said. "Think about what I said, Lee," he said before leaving. Avaa turned to Zuko.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"No," he told her.

"You seemed pretty mad at me back there," she told him. Zuko said nothing. Avaa sighed. "I really care about you. I don't think you're weak at all," Zuko met her eyes, "I'm not just saying this, I mean it," Zuko remained slient.

"Watch out for Jet," she told him," He has good intentions but," Avaa paused,"...he's a bit extreme. He almost killed me for being half Fire Nation. You're right, being alone isn;t always the best path, just watch who you're with,"

--

**Yup, Avaa's special thing is that she can enter the Spirit World. Have I mentioned that I love this chapter? Yes? Oh, well. I love this chapter. **

**Review!**


	8. Two Firebenders And A Half

**I'll just warn you now, Zuko gets out of character during this chapter. I didn't mean for it to happen, but this will be the only time...hopefully. **

**I own only my characters. (This is getting etremely troublesome.)**

**--**

Two Firebenders and A Half

Zuko, Iroh and Avaa stood in the ticket gate as a customs woman looked through their papers. The woman had a large mole on her forehead and Avaa fiddled her hair to keep from gwaking at it.

"So, Mr. Lee, Ms. Avaa, and Mr...umm Mushy is it?" The customs lady asked unpleasently.

"It's prounounced Moo-shee," Iroh corrected her. She lowered the papers and glared at Iroh.

"You telling me how to do my job?" she snapped.

"Uh, no,no,no," Iroh told her charmingly. He stepped foreword and leaned against the counter,"But, may I just say that you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty intoxicating," Avaa raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to slap her forehead. The customs lady smiled, obivously charmed.

"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome." She made a cat gesture and growled at him. Avaa put her hand over her eyes and lowered her head. "Welcome to Ba Sing Se," the customs woman told them as she stamped their papers. Iroh took the passports and held them out to the teenagers ,while grinning proundly.

"I'm going to forget I saw that," Zuko told his uncle as he snached his passport from Iroh. Avaa took her own paper and said

"I'm going to **try** to forget I saw that," Once she had recovered from Iroh's flirting she absorbed the sight of her surouddings. Avaa traveled the country side while avoiding her brother, she had never seen such massive buildings. She was amazed that there was enough stone in the world to make this.

They all took a seat on a bench to wait for their train. Zuko, being Zuko, leaned against the column and scowled. Avaa sighed at this, she wished Zuko smiled more. He was so much more handsome when he did. She had only seen him smile a few times, in all the time she had known him. Avaa saw him smile at her in her mind and her own lips made the gesture.

"So do you have plans once you're in the city?" Avaa looked towards Zuko again and saw Jet sitting beside him. She felt her cheeks grow hot. For some reason, being around your ex-boyfriend is embaressing. Espically if you have kissed said ex-boyfriend recently.

"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!" _Here we go._ Predictably, Iroh waved him over.

"Oh, Jasmine, please!" The tea peddler poured tea into Iroh's cup. Once it was full the peddler left and Iroh took a sip of the tea, but almost immediatly spit it out. "Blaugh! Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it. What a disgrace," Iroh shook his head. Zuko found it annoying and ignored him, Avaa found it funny and grinned from behind her hand.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jet asked Zuko. Zuko sighed and followed relcutantly. "You and I have a much better chance of making it in this city if we stick together. You want to join the Freedom Fighters?"

"Thanks, but I don't think you'd want me in your gang," Zuko told him.

"Come on, we made a great team looting that Captian's food. Think of all the good things we could do for these refugees," Jet said. Zuko turned away

"I said no,"

"Have it your way," Jet said slightly taken aback. "Hey!" Zuko stopped but didn't turn around,"Don't trust Avaa she's half Fire Nation and probibly in a league with them," _Yeah, she's in a league with the Prince of the Fire Nation._ Zuko thought and contiuned walking to Iroh and Avaa.

When Zuko got back to the bench Iroh was sipping his magicaly hot tea happily. He looked over his shoulder, back to Jet. Jet was looking at all of them with suspition. Once Jet had left Zuko knocked the teacup from Iroh's hand. Avaa jumped back to avoid the hot liquid and Iroh cried out in protest.

"Hey!"

"What are you doing fire bending your tea?" Zuko hissed through clenched teeth," For a wise old man that was a pretty stupid move," Iroh hadn't noticed anything Zuko said, but looked at the puddle of tea sadly.

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but it's so sad," Iroh sniffled. Zuko scowled and sat back on the bench,angry at Iroh for ignoring him.

Zuko was still angry when they boarded the train. Avaa sat between Zuko and Iroh.

"Lee, let it go. I don't think anyone noticed," Avaa asured Zuko.

"Jet did," Zuko said.

"Are you sure?" Avaa asked suddenly worried.

"Yeah, he definately saw something," Avaa frowned.

"We'll have to be more careful," Avaa told him. Zuko scowled at her.

"I'm not the one putting us in danger!" He snapped.

"I know, Lee, but we all have to be careful. Anyone of us can give ourselves away, accidently." Zuko looked away but still scowled. Avaa sighed and turned to Iroh, who was cooing over a baby.

"What a handsome baby," Iroh told its mother. She smiled.

"Thank you,"

Zuko and Avaa walked down the streets of the Lower Ring. Iroh had gone off to some shop.

"I've never seen anything like this city," Avaa commented," Have you?"

"Not exactly. The Fire Nation capital is close to this," Zuko replied. Iroh ran up behind them holding a vase full of bright orange flowers. Zuko glared at the flowers as if they had said something insulting to him.

"I just want our place to look nice someone brings home a lady friend." Iroh said nudging Zuko. Avaa's face hardened at 'lady friend'.

"This city is prison. I don't want to make a life here," Zuko replied.

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, I found us some new jobs and we start **this** afternoon," Iroh told him. Avaa wondered what jobs they got. If Iroh had any say in it, it had something to do with tea.

Sure enough, they all stood in a rickety old tea shop in aprons. Iroh was trying in vain to get his apron tied.

"Well you certainly **look** like offical tea servers. How do you feel?" the tea shop owner asked.

"Ridiculous," Zuko mumbled.

"Uh, Does this possibly come in a larger size?" Iroh asked the man.

"I have extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait," the shop owner said pouring all three of them tea. Iroh sipped his tea and grimaced in disgust.

"Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!" Avaa chuckled. Iroh was having a horrible time with tea lately.

"Uncle, that's what **all** tea is," Zuko said.

"How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here." Iroh said picking up the tea pot and throwing its contents out the window. _Oh, dear. _Avaa thought.

Iroh stood at a counter, making tea. Avaa sighed.

"If I see any more tea, it'll be too soon," she mumbled to Zuko. He chuckled softly and whispered,

"Tell me about it,"

"Would you like a pot of tea?" Iroh asked them. Clearly, he didn't hear a word Avaa and Zuko said.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day, we're sick of tea," Zuko said.

"Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing," Iroh said as he rummaged through a cupboard. "Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?"

"No, are they gone?" Avaa asked hopefully.

"I can't find them," Iroh replied. Then, he left the room.

"Did you hide them?" Zuko asked Avaa once Iroh was gone. She shook her head.

"Whoever did, I want to thank them," Zuko nodded. Iroh returned, again not hearing a word of the teenagers.

"I borrowed our neighbors', such kind people," He said lighting the pile of twigs under their teapot.

"Obiviously,they didn't have **our** interests in mind," Avaa whipsered to Zuko. He held back a laugh and smiled. _Yes! A smile, finally!_ She thought. Iroh turned to them and held out a cup of tea to each. Suddenly, Avaa was six-years-old again.

"Do we have to?" she asked. Iroh put the cup in her hand and said,

"I told you we were going to make some changes," He told them. Zuko and Avaa groaned and Zuko took his cup. They both sat there, holding their tea. Hopefully, Iroh wouldn't make them drink it. As if he read their minds, he said "You have to drink it," They groaned again and took a sip of tea.

Recutantly, they each finished their cups, luckly they didn't have to drink the entire pot. Zuko and Avaa went in the other room, after their cups were empty.

"Are you sure, you don't want anymore tea?" Iroh called.

"No thanks!" they said together.

"Quick, lock the door!" Avaa said to Zuko. Zuko did just that, and sighed in relief. "I can't take anymore tea today,"

"I can't take anymore tea for the next three years," Zuko replied. Avaa chuckled. She looked out the window at the city. The buildings stretched all the way to the horizon, she couldn't see anything past them.

"I've never seen so many buildings in one place," she said to no one.

"You should see the Fire Nation capital," Zuko told her,"It's smaller, but alot nicer."

"What's it like in the Fire Nation?" Avaa asked turning to him.

"It's not much different than living here," he told her,"I haven't been very many places there, except for the capital and Ember Island."

"Where's that?"

"It's one of the outer islands. My family and I used to go there every summer when I was little," Avaa was silent for a mintue before asking,

"Do you miss it there?"

"Yeah," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry about what happened on the boat. I should've realized it was a painful memory," Avaa told him.

"You didn't know," he said.

"All the same, I'm sorry," She yawned and changed the subject. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired," Zuko's face lightened at the change of subject.

"Me too," Zuko said.

"Yeah, and we get to go to the tea shop tomorrow!" she said with sarcastic emdusiasm. Zuko groaned.

"Don't remind me. I'll have nightmares," Avaa laughed and dipped her hands into the water basin.

"Run Zuko! The tea monster is after you!" Zuko laughed. _This is new. _Avaa thought happily as she splashed water on her face.

"Thanks Avaa," Zuko told her.

"For what?" she asked drying her face.

"You're the first friend I've had in a long time." Avaa smiled.

"You're welcome. And thank you for being myfriend,"

"You're welcome," Zuko replied, still smiling. Avaa blushed a little bit.

"We'll drink some tea when we get to the shop, we promise," Avaa said to Iroh, who was chasing her with a teacup in his hand.

"But that tea is awful. Have this tea," Iroh countered.

"Making us drink tea every hour of the day won't make us like it more," Zuko said grumpily.

"It might work," Iorh said,"You two are going to drink your tea, whether you like it or not," Avaa pouted at the teacup, now in her hand while Zuko scowled at his. "You aren't going anywhere until you finish your cup," Iroh told him sitting on the floor and watching them. Zuko sighed and gave Avaa a I-can't-believe-this look. Avaa shrugged and replied with a might-as-well look. Zuko gave Iroh his death glare and drank his tea, while Avaa did the same.

Once their cups were empty Iroh took them and and smiled smugly.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Hmph!" Avaa and Zuko said together.

"Now, let's go serve some tea!" Iroh said edusicasticly. Avaa sighed. _Oh joy. _She thought.

That evening Iroh and Zuko severed tea to the customers while Avaa washed dirty cups and plates. She didn't know how she got stuck doing the dishes, but it wasn't that bad.

"This is the best tea in the city!" a officer exclaimed. Avaa looked back and saw Iroh wave his hand through steam emitting from the tea pot.

"The seceret ingredient is love," Iroh told him. Avaa rolled her eyes and turned back to the sink.

"I think you're due for a raise," the shop owner told Iroh. Suddenly, the door of the shop slammed open.

"I'm tired of waiting! These two men are firebenders!" Jet said. Avaa's eyes widened when Jet drew his swords. Her arm stung, remembering the old wound. "I know they're firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop," the officer said.

"He's a firebender, I'm telling you!"

"Drop your swords boy, nice and easy," the officer said calmly. He stood up ready to aphrend Jet.

"Jet, please listen to him," Avaa told him. But, he didn't notice her. He poised his swords and walked toward Zuko and Iroh. The officer put his hand the hilt of his sword, but Zuko waved it off and drew his broad-swords.

"You want a show? I'll give you a show," Zuko said. Avaa's eyes widened and she rushed from behind the counter to stop the teenage boys. Iroh grabbed her arm as Zuko kicked a table to Jet, who embeded his swords into it and jumped the table. When Jet landed he swung his swords at Zuko, causing Avaa to gasp and struggle in Iroh's grip. But, Zuko deflected the attack and jumped on a another table. Jet cut the table in half with his swords. Zuko stepped onto a half of the table, but Jet cut the remaining legs off. Zuko quickly jumped on the undamaged half, only to have Jet knock the table from under him. Zuko jumped into the air and swung both broad swords at Jet's feet, but Jet quickly somersaulted away. Jet landed in a crouching postion, before charging at Zuko. Zuko backed into the door and tumbled into the street. Iroh let go of Avaa and they both stood in the doorway.

"Please son, you're confused. You don't know what you're doing!" Iroh called to Jet. But Jet didn't either didn't hear, or ignored him. Zuko swung his swords at jet, but he caught them with the hooks at deflected them to the side.

"I've got to stop this," Avaa told Iroh. Iroh grabbed her arm again, keeping her from getting between the boys.

"No, you sholdn't get into this," Zuko spun around to try and counterattack, but Jet hooked the ends of his swords together and spun them in a circle. Zuko backed away to avoid the sharp hilts.

"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now," Jet taunted, but Zuko was unaffected.

"You're the one who needs help," he said. Jet swung a sword at Zuko's feet, but Zuko stabbed the hilt pinning the sword in the ground.

Now, both teenagers are down one sword each. Jet let go of his pinned sword and swiped at Zuko, who swung his sword horizontally. Jet bent backward and Zuko cut the straw of praire grass in half. Avaa smirked at Jet's annoyed face. Jet jumped on a well and shouted,

"You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen!" Jet then hooked his sword on a wooden beam above the well and aimed a flying kick at Zuko. Out of instintinct Avaa cried out,

"Watch out!" Zuko doged the attack and swung the broad-swords at jet, but Jet bloaked it and they end up back-to-back. The boys swing their swords at each other, but each blocked every blow flawlessly.

"Drop your weapons!" Jet and Zuko stepped away from each other at the Dai Li's command. Avaa was extremely relived to see Zuko lower his swords, for once he was listening to someone. Jet pointed accusingly at Iroh, Zuko and Avaa.

"Arrest them. Those two are fire benders and she's half Fire Nation," He told the Dai Li.

"This poor boy is confused. We're just simple refugees," Iroh said. The tea shop owner stepped foreward angrily.

"This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaluted my employees," he said.

"It's true sir," the officer chimed in,"We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city,"

"Oh ho ho. That's very sweet," Iroh said turning red. Avaa inwardly raised an eyebrow. Jet attacked Zuko, not Iroh, but she wasn't going to ruin Iroh's small moment of glory. The two Dai Li walked up behind Jet.

"Come with us son," one of them said. Jet angrily swung his hooked sword at them, but the Dai Li caught the sword in his hand, which was covered in stones. The other Dai Li took the weapon from Jet and bound his wrists behind his back.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Jet shouted at them as they dragged to a cart. Before the Dai Li close the doors of the wagon Jet sent Avaa an angry glare. She answered with a symphatitic look and turned her head away from him. _I'm sorry, Jet. _

_--_

**I like this chapter except when Zuko gets out of character. I just pretend that he's in a ungodly good mood. shrug The next chapter is better. **

**Review please!**


	9. That Other Girl

**Dun Dun DUN!! Zuko's date with Jin is in this chapter, and as any of you can guess, Avaa is none too happy about it. **

**I own only my characters. **

--

That Other Girl

Avaa stood at the wash basin in the tea shop and gently scrubbed the teacup in her hands. Iroh was restocking tea on the shelves and Zuko was waiting tables. Avaa dried the cup, set it on the counter, and picked up another and began to rub suds all over it. She sighed. She was now the official dish-washer for Pao's Tea Shop. Pao-senpai didn't seem to like her much.

Zuko walked across the room to Iroh and Avaa. He placed a tray of dirty cups beside her. She was about to start washing those when Zuko said,

"We have a problem." Avaa looked up and Iroh desended the ladder, "One of the customers is onto us."

"What?" Avaa asked in disbelief. She cursed vividly in her mind and quickly dried her hands.

"Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation!" Despite Zuko's warning Avaa and Iroh turned around. They saw a very attractive girl sitting at the corner table. Avaa reconized her. She had been there every day for the past five days.

Zuko quickly pulled them back around.

"Didn't I say don't look?!" he snapped. Iroh wore a large grin.

"She _has _been here alot hasn't she?" Avaa said.

"Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you, Zuko," Iroh said. Both Zuko and Avaa reeled in surprise.

"What?!" they said together.

"Thank you for the tea," a fourth voice said. The trio turned around to see the girl at the counter. She handed Zuko a few coins and he turned away for a moment.Avaa scrutinized her intently. She had brown hair parted into two braids, and light brown eyes. Avaa noticed she looked at Zuko with a certain warmth in her gaze. A tiny flame of jealousy burned in her chest.

"What's your name?" the girl asked Zuko. He turned back around.

"My name's Lee. My Uncle and I just moved here." Zuko replied. Avaa picked up a few stray cups and began washing again.

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you, and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?" Avaa whipped around.

"He has plans," she said.

"He'd love to!" Iroh said over Avaa. Avaa turned to Iroh and glared at him.

"Great! I will meet you in front of the tea shop at sundown." Zuko stared at Jin as she walked away. Avaa turned around and began washing the dishes again. She tossed a teacup into the basin so hard it shattered. She swore at it and grimaced at the voice coming from across the room.

"**Avaa!**" She bit her lip.

"Sorry Pao-senpai," she called.

Avaa fiddled with her pendant back at the apartment. She sat on Iroh's futon while he combed Zuko's hair. Obivously, Zuko wasn't very happy about that.

"My hair looks fine, Uncle!" he snapped.

"It looks fine now," Iroh replied seting down the comb,"Doesn't he look smart, Avaa?" She looked up and snorted at Zuko. He wore a handsome green outfit, but what was so funny is that his hair was parted down the middle. Zuko glared at Iroh.

"I look ridiculous!" Avaa smile behind her hand.

"No no no," she said quickly,"You look fine, really." Zuko began to search her eyes for a lie, but Iroh quickly ushered him out the door.

"See? I told you. Now go and have fun!" Iroh shut the door behind Zuko and watched him leave from out the window. Avaa joined him and made sure he had turned the coner before opening the door.

"I'll best be off too," she said as she tucked her pendant back in her robes.

"You're not going to spy on Zuko's date are you?" Iroh asked.

"Of course not!" Avaa replied," I respect Zuko's privacy and won't go snooping into his personal life."

Avaa peeked around the column at Zuko and Jin.They all were at a patio resterant. The smell of food drifted around the tables, and the laterns gave the area a cozy glow. Zuko's hair was back to normal and was poking absantly at a meatball. Avaa had throughly convinced herself that she wasn't spying out of jealousy. She wanted to see what that Jin girl was like.

"So how do you like the city so far?" Jin asked. Her hair was now pinned in a ponytail and she wore dress robes.

"Nothing." Zuko replied. Avaa rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead. She definatly didn't want Zuko to like Jin; or Jin to like Zuko, but Zuko was so horrible at small talk it would make anyone cringe.

A waiter approached their table and said,

"Excuse me, sir. Would you and your girlfriend care for dessert?" Zuko pounded on the table with his fist.

"She is **not** my girlfriend!" he shouted. The restrant suddenly became deafenly quiet. The waiter walked off. Zuko turned back to Jin, who was scarfing down noodles as if nothing had happened.

"You have," Zuko said trying despretly to find someting to say,"quite an appetite for a girl." Avaa groaned and slapped her forehead again. It was amazing that he could talk to her, but not any other girl.

"Baka!" she hissed.

"Um, thanks," Jin said,"So, Lee where were you and your uncle living before you came here?"

"Um, well we've been traveling around for a long time," Zuko replied.

"Oh! Why were you traveling so much?"

"We were, uh, apart of this traveling circus." Avaa raised an eyebrow. _Is that the best you could come up with?_ she thought. Jin's eyes sparkled at this.

"Really?" What did you do? Wait, lemme guess," Jin paused,"you juggled!" Avaa snorted. _How did she come up with __**that**__? Zuko's the last person I'd expect juggling!_ Zuko crossed his arms.

"Yes, I juggled," he said without any endusiam. Jin grinned.

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle! Can you show me something?" She held out an assortment of items perivously on the table. Zuko took them in his arms and threw them in the air one by one, and failed to catch any of them. Most of them tumbled to the floor, but one broke on Zuko's head. Avaa giggled, but Jin only smiled.

"I haven't practiced for awhile," Zuko told her as he brushed broken pottery from his hair.

"It's alright," Jin replied. She paused for a moment then asked,"Who's that girl that you work with at the tea shop? You two seem to know each other."

"Yeah, Avaa's a friend of the family. She was a...a fire eater in the circus." Avaa smiled and arched her eyebrow again. _Shouldn't you be the fire eater?_ She could've sworn there was a smile in Zuko's eye as he said that.

"Really? She's not a firebender is she?" Jin asked jokingly.

"No she's not." Zuko said. Jin smiled then said,

"Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city, the firelight fountain." Avaa straightened up. That was **the** most romantic place in the Lower Ring! She stood up and left for the fountain.

Of course all the lamps were lit and bathed the square in gold light. Their reflections in the fountain looked like gold coins. The falling water sparkled like stars.

Avaa quickly began to blow out the lower candles. Then, she looked up at the founatin. There were still lamps that were lit and the only way to get to them would be to get in the pool. Avaa pressed her lips together and huffed at them. She hiked up her skirt and took off her shoes. Then stepped into the water and blew out the rest of the candles.

As she was wringing the water out her skirt she heard footsteps. Avaa quickly ducked into an ally.

"The lamps make the water sparkle and reflect in the pool in the most beautiful way," she heard Jin say. Jin lead Zuko into the square. When she saw the dark founatin her smile fell.

"I can't believe it! They aren't lit," she said. Zuko looked at Jin, then the fountain.

"Close your eyes and don't peek," Zuko told her. Jin gave him a curious look before covering her eyes with her hands. Zuko stepped into the circle of laterns. He closed his eyes and put his hands together. _He's not..._ Zuko opened his eyes and shot fire at all of the lanterns and candles. _He's willing to risk getting exposed for __**her?!**_ Avaa thought savagely.

Once all of the candles were lit Zuko straightened up and said,

"Okay. Now you can look." Jin lowered her hands.

"Oh wow...,"she said," What happened? How did they light? What did you..." Zuko just smiled at her. They both turn to the fountain and Jin brushed a hand in her hair although Zuko didn't see it. Jin grabbed his hand and he turned to her. Then she began to lean to kiss him. Zuko pulled out a peice of paper and put it between their lips.

"I brought you something," he said,"It's a coupon for a free cup of tea." Jin took the coupon and smiled.

"Lee, this is so sweet." she said. Zuko took a few steps away from her.

"Don't thank me. It was my Uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer." Zuko replied.

"Your uncle is a good teacher. I have something for you too." Jin walked back to his side and placed a hand on his cheek,"Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

Avaa knew what was coming next, and she didn't want to see it. She turned away and started for the apartment. She convinced herself that a forgin object was causing her eyes to water. She didn't understand why she was so jealous. Zuko didn't belong to her so he could kiss whoever he pleased. But no matter what she thought the jealousy still burned like a torch in her heart. And the more she thought about it, the angrier she got at Jin, and for no reason other than she kissed Zuko. As Avaa started to climb the stairs she shook her head. _I need sleep._ She opened the door and walked to her room.

"Avaa," Iroh said when he heard her come in,"Have you seen Zuko?" Avaa stopped infront of her door for a moment. _Yeah, eating another girl's face._

"No." she lied.

--

**Avaa is very obivously in denial. She'll come out it eventually I'm sure. **

**Review!!**


	10. I'd Lie

**I suppose this is a songfic. How many allusions to the song can you spot? **

**I don't want to spoil anything so just read. **

**I'd Lie belongs to Taylor Swift.**

**Most everything else belongs to the guys who created Avatar except Avaa. She belongs to me. **

**--**

I'd Lie

Avaa opened her dark brown eyes. The room was filled with pale blue early morning light. The familar sleep ache weighed down her limbs. Avaa rolled over to her right.

Zuko was still laying on his futon, asleep. His normally scowling features were relaxed. When he was awake Zuko gave off the vibe of extreme alertness. But right now as he slept he seemed...vunerable. Avaa couldn't take her eyes off his face. Everything about him looked so soft.

_Great spirits, he's beautiful. _she thought. She sat up and shook her head. _I've got to stop doing that._ She ran her fingers through her hair and frowned when she felt greasy strands. Avaa stood and carefully stepped around Zuko to the door.

Iroh was sitting at the table drinking his morning tea. He smiled warmly at Avaa as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Avaa," he said.

"Good morning," she replied in a surprisingly husky voice. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I'm going to the bath house." Iroh nodded and Avaa walked out the door. She went down the stairs and started walking down the road.

The day before yesterday was Zuko's date with Jin. Yesterday she had been so angry at Jin she broke two more teacups. Pao wasn't very happy with her to say the least.

Avaa turned left and entered the women's bath house. She was greeted by smothering heat and a thick veil of steam. As she took a quick glance at the baths, he noticed there were mostly older women awake. There were only two other teenagers and both were washing off before getting in the water. Avaa stopped at the basin next to theirs and began to take off her robes. As she did, she overheard the girls' conversation.

"Have you seen that boy that works at Pao's?" asked one in a strangly accented nasal voice,"Isn't he a hunk?"

"Great spirits, yes!" the other one cried, "He's sooooo dreamy!" The first girl was silent for a moment. Avaa imagined a deep frown plastered on her face.

"But you _do_ know he's mine."

"I can dream can't I?"

"Not about **my **man." the first one hissed. Avaa's temper flared.

"You don't own him!" she snapped. The first girl looked at Avaa with a raised eyebrow. The other girl stood behind her, looked at the other girl, looked at Avaa, then smirked.

"Do you even know his name?"

"It doesn't matter," the girl said,"Soon he'll be begging for mine." Avaa scowled.

"What makes you think he'll take a second glance at a spoiled, selfish, cow like you?" The girl's eyes flashed for a moment, but she blinked it away and smiled evily.

"I _am_ spoiled, because I always get what I want. And do you know what I want," dramatic pause,"him" Avaa began to shake with anger.

"You mesu-" Avaa trailed as she got an evil-evil idea. She smiled and said,

"Fine, fine but I don't think you're quite what he's looking for."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm irresistable." Avaa inwardly gagged. The girl wasn't attractive at all. She had buck teeth, bug eyes, and breathed through her mouth too much.

"To any normal guy maybe," Avaa replied. She turned and began washing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Avaa smirked.

"Well, I've heard talk that he's,"another dramatic pause,"gay." The girl was silent for a moment. All that came from her mouth was her breath.

"What?" she finally asked.

"He's gay," Avaa repeated.

"No that's impossible. You're lying!" Avaa still didn't look at her.

"Believe what you want but," Avaa paused in false thought,"I've never seen him look at a _girl_ that way before." Silence from the two girls. Avaa looked up and smiled.

"Well, have a nice soak," she said. Avaa walked through the door to the bath.

**CRASH!** Avaa swore at the broken pieces of pottery at her feet. She cringed as she heard Pao's angry footsteps approaching.

"Avaa! That's the fourth teacup in two days!" he screamed,"One more and you're fired!"

"Yes, senpai," Avaa mumbled. She bent over and began picking up the pottery. Iroh picked up a broom and pan and helped her clean up.

"What's wrong? You're not usually **this** clumsy," he said. Avaa put her pieces in the dust pan.

"Nothing." Iroh raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing? You've been losing your temper more often than Zuko." Avaa snorted quietly.

"That's ridiculous," she said, standing up. When she looked up Jin was at the counter. Avaa's heart turned into a mixture of fire and ice.

"Thank you," Jin said sweetly, handing coins to Avaa. Avaa nodded.

"No problem," Jin smiled and left. Once Jin's back was to Avaa, she rolled her eyes and put the coins in the box.

"Avaa," Iroh said after a long pause,"You're jealous of Jin, because you're in love with Zuko." Avaa froze for a moment and felt her cheeks redden.

"That's impossible," she said. Iroh grinned at her.

"Love isn't impossible," he replied.

"True. But I'm not in love with Zuko." Avaa picked up a tray and put it beside the basin.

"Denying it won't get you anywhere," Iroh told her.

"I'm not denying anything! I'm not in love with him!" She snapped."Great spirts help the woman that ever falls in love with Zuko." Avaa set a cup down on the counter dangerously hard. Iroh was silent for a moment, probably deep in thought.

"Besides, if I did love him," Avaa said mostly to herself,"he'd never notice anyway." Iroh said nohing but turned away to make tea. Avaa began washing dishes agan.

Zuko walked to her and brought her some more dishes. When he set the tray down, his elbow knocked over a cup. Avaa swore vividly as it shattered at her feet.

"Avaa!" Pao shouted,"That is the final straw! You're fired!" Avaa scowled as her fuse lit.

"FINE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs," I hate this place anyway!" She tore off her apron, threw it at Pao's face, and stomped out the door.

Avaa stared out the window absently. She took absolutly nothing in. She was lost in her thoughts, which is why she jumped when Iroh walked in.

"You're back," she said after claming down,"Where's Zuko?" Iroh took off his shoes.

"He went somewhere with Jin after we left," he replied.

"What?!" Avaa jumped up and began to go to the door. Iroh chuckled at her.

"He really went to pick up a few things." Avaa frowned at him.

"That's not funny," she said.

'No, but it proves my point. You're jealous of Jin." Avaa frowned depper.

"I am-" Iroh gave her a gentle skeptical look. Avaa sighed and looked at her feet.

"I guess I am, but I not in love with Zuko."

"Avaa-"

"Look. I don't know why I'm acting like this, but it has nothing to do with being in love." Iroh sighed.

"What's wrong being in love with Zuko?"

"Not only is he the most difficult boy I've ever met, but do you know how many girls are in love with him? Probably every freaking girl who sees him! I would just be another superifical fangirl!" Iroh was silent again.

"I'm not in love."

"If you were in love with him, hypothectically, what would you do?" Avaa thought about it.

"Nothing,"she said,"He doesn't love me back." As she said she felt a pain in her heart. Because deep-deep down she knew she loved him, and she knew he didn't love her back.

_I'd Lie _

_I don't think that passender seat_

_Has ever looked this good to me_

_He tells me about his night _

_And I count the colors in his eyes_

_Never fall in live he swears as runs his finger through his hair_

_I'm laughing 'cause I hope he's wrong_

_And I could tell you his favorite color's green_

_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes _

_And if you asked me if I loved him _

_I'd lie_

_He looks around the room, innocently overlooks the truth_

_Shouldn't a light go on?_

_Doesn't he know that I've had him memorized for so long_

_He sees everything black and white, never let no body see him cry_

_I don't let no body see me wishing he was mine_

_I could tell you his favorite color's green_

_He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_

_And if you asked me if I loved him _

_I'd lie_

_He stands there, then walks away_

_My God if I could only say_

_I'm holding every breath for you_

_He'd never tell you that he could play guitar_

_I think he could see through everything but my heart_

_First thought when I wake up, is My God he's beautiful_

_So put on my make-up and pray for a miracle_

_Yes, I could tell you his favorite color's green_

_He loves to argue _

_Oh, and he kills me_

_His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes_

_And if you if you asked me if I loved him_

_If you asked me if I loved him_

_I'd lie_

_--_

**This is a short chapter oh well. I think it's one of the sweetest. **

**Review!**


	11. The Friend of My Enemy Is My Enemy?

**Avaa meets a few new people in this chapter. It's kinda obivous as soon as you read the first sentance. **

**I own only my characters, even random filler ones. **

**--**

The Friend of My Enemy is My Enemy?

Sokka wandered around aimlessly in the garden behind their house. Joo Dee said that the garden had been planted specificlly for relaxation, and boy did Sokka need that. Between trying to find Appa and the Earth King he was incredibly stressed. Everything was so screwed up, not to mention he was still sore from the haiku-off.

He sighed and pulled out his boomerang. He frowned at a small smudge. Sokka wiped it off and smiled. He took great pride in his boomerang, he didn't know what he'd do without it.

A dragon-fly landed on a tree branch next to Sokka. He turned to it. It was mostly green, execpt for a bright yellow ring around it's left eye.

It tilted it's reptilian head at him.

"You're really lucky I'm not hungry." Sokka told it. It made no response execpt for a blink. Sokka was a little surprised at this, so he stared back. For a few moments nothing happened. Blue human eyes stared into amber reptilian ones. Then, out of nowhere the dragon-fly snatched the boomerang from Sokka's hands. It let out a chirp of triumph as it flew away.

"**Hey!**" Sokka cried. It chirped again and Sokka began to run after it. The dragon-fly quickly picked up speed and left him behind. He stopped as it disappeared into the distance. Sokka swore.

"You're going to be on my plate tonight!" he called after it.

"What poor creature are you threatening this time?" Sokka turned to Katara who had crossed her arms.

"That dragon-fly stole my boomerang! We have to get it back!" Katara uncrossed her arms.

"Which way did it go?" Sokka began to run in the direction it left; Katara followed close behind.

"It was going toward the Middle Ring, but I think it might have been headed for the Lower."

"What makes you say that?" Katara asked.

"My boomerang is an authentic Water Tribe weapon, it's gotta be worth something on the black market," he replied.

Avaa handed Zuko and Iroh a plate of water chesnut cakes. They each took a cake and began to eat.

"You didn't have to do this," Iroh said after his first bite. Avaa shrugged and took a cake for herself.

"I wanted to. Besides, it's not like I don't have time," she replied. Iroh smiled a little bit.

"It was unfortunate that you got fired," he said,"We'll miss you."

"Yeah, now that you're gone, Pao-senpai will have to find a new dish washer," Zuko said,"who'll probably be me." Avaa smiled.

"I don't know. He always seemed to like you and Iroh more than me."

"Well, like it or not, we've got to get going," Iroh said as he stood. Zuko relcutantly followed him to the door.

"We'll see you this evening."

"Break a teacup for me," Avaa calling, smiling. Iroh smiled back and shut the door behind him and Zuko.

Avaa sighed. _Now what?_ She would be alone for the next... She glanced out the window at the sun's postion. Six hours. She groaned. This was going to be a long, boring day.

Avaa stood and began to search for her stash of willow so she could make her morning tea. She frowned when it wasn't in it's usual spot. She crawled deeper into the cabient and found nothing. _I better get some then._

Avaa walked up the streets of the market place. No matter which direction you were going, it seemed like everyone was going the opposite. She pushed her way through some people standing still in the middle of the path. _Baka ne._

As she passed the stands on either side of the street, their merchants shouted at her.

"Fresh vegatables! Harvested today!"

"Luxery rugs imported from Omashu!" Avaa ignored them as best she could. She didn't really trust these people. Most were apart of the black market, stealing their products. She jumped when a wrinkled hand grabbed her arm.

"Would you like your palm read, dear? I can tell you the name of your one true love."

"Uh-no-no thank you." Avaa stammered. The old woman relcutantly realsed her grip.

A few yards up the street, Avaa's attention was drawn to a arugment at one of the stands.

"That boomerang is mine!"

"Nonsense, I got this from a Water Tribe warroir last week."

"Your dragon-fly stole it from me this morning!" A boy with tanned skin and brown hair shouted at a fat old man with a dragon-fly on his shoulder. The dragon-fly had a obivous yellow ring around it's left eye.

"Sokka," a blue eyed girl told the boy,"We can go and get the money and come back."

"You can leave if you want, but if someone else wants it, I won't hestiate to sell," the merchant said. The boy fummed.

"That's mine and you know it! I'm not paying two gold peices for what belongs to me!" he shouted.

Avaa watched intently. She didn't trust these people, not one bit. _That probably is his. _She looked in her money bag. She had about ten copper peices and fifteen silver ones. Not nearly enough, but...

"Give me my boomerang!" the boy demanded. The merchant frowned, starting to get annoyed.

"Pay up boy and you'll have it!" he snapped, standing up. Avaa cut in before they could really get at it. She slammed her bag on the stand, attracting their attention.

"That should cover it." she said firmly looking at the merchant. He raised an eyebrow at her, before smiling.

"Here," he said as he gave her the weapon.

"Thank you," she said. The boy looked at her,also smiling. Avaa gave the bomerang to him, and began walking down the street. The boy and girl joined her. The boy jumped up and down excitedly.

"You are **the** nicest person ever!" he said,"You bought my boomerang back and I don't even know you!" Avaa winced slightly at his praise.

"Well-" she started.

"Hey!" All three of them turned. The merchant was crimson with anger and began running toward them. Avaa was the quickest to react.

"**Run!**" she said darting down the street. The boy and girl took off too.

They pushed their way through the crowds. Many people shouted insults at them, but they kept running.

"Baka!" someone snapped. Avaa looked behind them. The merchant was gaining on them. _Chikushou!_ A cabbage merchant rolled his cart infront of their path. The boy and girl ran around it, but Avaa tipped it over, sending the vegatables onto the street.

"My cabbages!" the merchant cried.

"Sorry!" Avaa called as she ran away. They kept running until they left the market place. Avaa lead them into an allyway where they sat down to catch their breath.

"What did you give him?" the girl asked between puffs.

"Ten copper pieces, and fifteen silver pieces," Avaa replied.

"Okay, it's offical you are the greatest person on Earth," the boy said. Avaa smiled.

"I don't think we properly introduced ourselves," she said,"I'm Avaa."

"I'm Sokka, and this is my sister, Katara," the boy said. The girl nodded.

"Nice to meet you," Avaa said.

"Why did you help us?" Katara asked her,"Not that we're not grateful." They were finally beginning to catch their breath. Avaa shrugged.

"I don't trust these merchants as far as I can throw them, and I can't stand people who steal something and sell it."

"Joo Dee _did _say you have to watch your step around here."

"Thank you, I owe you one, Avaa." Sokka said. She smiled.

"No problem." Katara stood.

"I think we should get back home," she said.

"What about old, fat, and ugly?" Avaa asked as she got up. Sokka stood also.

"We'll come back and give him the money," Katara told her. Avaa nodded.

"I hope we see each other again, under better circumstances of course." Avaa said. They smiled.

"Us too," Sokka replied.

They said their goodbyes, and the siblings started to walk toward the Middle Ring. Avaa decided to go ahead and go home. She couldn't risk getting a limb chopped off by the merchant. An eye, for an eye, they said. _Man, do I have a story for Iroh._

Avaa looked up from her book when she heard the door open. Iroh and Zuko walked inside. They looked really tired.

"Did everything go okay?" Avaa asked them.

"Oh, sure," Zuko said,"We just had to work overtime, and I had to do **two** jobs!" He sighed. Avaa cringed.

"Sorry, Zuko." He walked into their room.

"It's alright, it would've been nice if you hadn't been fired." Zuko said before closing the door. Avaa turned to Iroh.

"You guys didn't have such a good day, huh?"

"It was fine, just busy." Iroh said,"What about you?" Avaa brightened. She had been wanting to tell Iroh this for awhile.

"I meet a boy in the marketplace," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, this merchant took the boy's boomerang and was trying to sell it."

"Boomerang?" Iroh said quietly,"Did this boy have a girl with long brown hair in a braid, and hair loops with him?" Iroh asked before she could continue. Avaa blinked.

"Yes, Katara, his sister." Iroh fliched, surprised, then quickly shushed her.

"What?" Avaa whispered.

"Do you know who Katara and Sokka are?" he asked.

"No. Wait, how do you know their names?"

"Avaa, they're the Avatar's friends." Avaa's eyebrows shot up.

"That means the Avatar's in the city." she said quietly. Iroh nodded.

"That's right, but we can't let Zuko know. If he kinds out..." he trailed off. Avaa let that sink in.

"Promise, you won't tell him," Iroh said.

"Promise." Avaa said.

--

**Not much to say at this point. I'll post chapter 12 soon. I'm working on it right now. **

**Review!**


	12. Oppurtune Moments

**This is the first chapter I've typed in one sitting. - **

**yeah yeah disclaimers blah. **

--

Oppurtune Moments

Zuko bused the tables in Pao's teashop like he did nearly everyday. He piled dirty teacups and plates onto an empty tray. Unfortuneatly for him, he would have to wash them afterward, which would have been Avaa's job._ Why did she have to go and get fired?_ he thought grumpily.

Zuko glanced at Iroh. He was pouring tea for a wealthly dressed man and his bodyguards. Zuko frowned slightly and turned back to the tables. Iroh got the easy job

and all the praise. No one noticed the busboy who did twice his share of work.

He turned to clean up another table and saw the man and his bodyguards approach Iroh.

"So _you're_ the genius behind this incredible brew," the man said,"The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well." Iroh smiled.

"Good tea is its own reward," he told him. Zuko rolled his eyes and picked up some more dishware.

"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own teashop?" the man asked him. Iroh stared at him for a few moments in complete shock. _Oh no!_

"My own teashop? This is a dream come true!" he said happily.

"What's going on here?!" Pao said hurrying to them,"Are you trying to poach my teamaker?" Pao put himself between the wealthy man and Iroh.

"Sorry, Pao, that's business for you, am I right?" Pao turned to Iroh.

"Mushi, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant Manager." Zuko shook his head at Pao's attempt. There was no way Uncle Iroh would refuse an offer like this.

"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The teashop is yours to do what ever you want. Complete creative freedom." Zuko glanced at them again. _It just keeps getting better and better. _he thought.

"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked.

"Of course!" the man said.

"Uh," Pao stammered,"Senoir _Executive_ Assistant Manager." Iroh smiled at the wealthy man and handed Pao the hot teapot. Pao grimaced in pain.

"That was for Avaa." Iroh told him. He exchanged bows with the man.

Zuko walked toward the front door, but he paused when Iroh began to talk to him.

"Did you hear that nephew? This man wants to give us our own teashop in the upper ring of the city!" he said.

"That's right young man. Your life is about to change for the better." Zuko passed them and set the tray on a table.

"I'll try to contain my joy." he said as he left.

Zuko leaned against the shop after he closed the door. It wasn't fair. Iroh got everything, **everything!** He was getting his own teashop! And what did Zuko get out of this? Nothing. Nada. Zip. He was still a outcast, royalty having to live like a commner. His father still thought he was a failure. _Chikushou! _

He was brought of his sulking when he noticed a peice of paper fluttering toward the ground. Out of curiousity he caught it and read it. Zuko felt a jolt of excitment. _The Avatar lost his bison! He's in the city!_ Zuko climbed the roof of the shop to get a better look at the skies. He didn't see anything but birds and clouds, but it didn't matter. This was the moment he had been waiting for!

"Avaa!" Avaa jumped at Iroh's voice. She ran into the kitchen to find him grinning broadly. Wasn't he supposed to be at work?

"What's going on? Why aren't you at work?" She paused," Wait, you didn't get fired did you?" Iroh's eyes glinted.

"Actually, I quit." he told her.

"Why?" Dramatic pause.

"A man offered me my own teashop in the Upper Ring!" he exclaimed. Avaa looked at him wide-eyed, then smiled and hugged him.

"Iroh! This is terrific! Congrats!" Iroh hugged her back.

"This is a great oppertunity for all of us." They let go of each other. Avaa's smile fell when she remembered Iroh wasn't they only person supposed to be at work right now.

"What about Zuko? What does he think about all this?" she asked. Iroh's smile faltered a little also.

"Oh, he was thrilled." he told her. Avaa tilted her head questionly.

"Really?"

"Oh yes!" Iroh said,"He couldn't have been happier." Avaa arched her eyebrow. It didn't sound like Zuko, but Iroh wasn't one to lie. But... She tossed the thought aside. Zuko should be home soon, she'll find out then.

"When are we moving?" she asked.

"Three days." Iroh replied. Avaa smiled again.

"We better start packing then, huh?"

As she was putting her clothes into a chest, she heard Zuko walk in the door. She stood up and entered the kitchen to greet him. Avaa noticed he held a peice of paper in his hand.

"So, I was thinking of names for my new teashop. How 'bout the Jasmine Dragon. It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it." Iroh said after Zuko walked in. Zuko unfurled the paper. It had a drawing of a sky bison on it.

"The Avatar's here in Ba Sing Se," he gave the leaflet to Iroh,"And he's lost his bison." Avaa suddenly felt sick to her stomach. _**Not good!**_ she thought.

"We have a chance for a new life here," Iroh said. Zuko turned to the window, probably to look at the sky for the bison,"If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose _all_ of the good things that are happening to us." Zuko spun around to face Iroh, very irate.

"Good things that are happening to you!" he snapped,"Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?" Avaa cringed slightly at them. She had never seen them argue before.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is you want for your life and why." Iroh told him. Zuko turned away from him.

"I want my destiny." he said.

"What that means is up to you." Zuko walked past Avaa into their room and shut the door without so much as a glance at her.

"The Tea Weevil!" Iroh said,"No, that's stupid!" Avaa rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Avaa read her book by the window. Zuko hadn't come out of for hours, which Avaa was starting to worry about. She had began to read to take her mind off him. Unfortuneatly, it wasn't working very well. Avaa wasn't reigstering anything she read, she had been reading two paragraphs for the last thirty mintues.

"Avaa?" She looked up from the pages,"I'm going to tell our land lord that we're moving." Iroh told her. She nodded and he left.

After he closed the door behind him, Avaa closed her book and stood. She had been waiting to talk to Zuko alone, and this was the oppurtune moment. Avaa opened the door.

"Zuko?" When she looked in the room, instead of Zuko, she saw a man dressed completely in black facing away from her. When he heard her enter he turned around. Avaa let out a horrified gasp. Instead of a human face, the figure had a blue demonic one. her battle reflexes reached for anything to use as a weapon.

"Avaa!" a familar voice snapped. Avaa straightened up. It sounded incredibly like...

"Zuko?" she asked. He took off the mask and reveled a familar ,scarred face.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked her.

"What am I doing? What are _you_ doing? What is all this?" she asked after recovering from the scare. Zuko's face turned into a look a determination.

"I'm going to find the Avatar's bison," he answered. Avaa felt sick again. She was afraid of that.

"Zuko, Iroh is right. There's nothing wrong with the way we live," she said.

"Of course you'd say that! You always have to take his side don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I just don't want you to do anything stupid." Avaa told him. Zuko scowled at her.

"I'm doing something stupid, then?"

"You know that's not what I ment! I don't want you to get hurt." Zuko's face softened.

"I'm not going to get hurt. I know what I'm doing." He tried to walk out the door, but Avaa blocked the way.

"Why are you doing this? Our life is just getting better." she asked. _Stall him. Stall him long enough for Iroh to come back. _

"So my father will restore my honor."

"Zuko, you and I both know that's not what this is about. You have people who care about you right here, can't you see that?" Frusterated tears began to form in her eyes. After everything, he was just going to leave and not even give her a second thought? _Thank you for being my friend. _Zuko said in her head.

Zuko didn't respond, but tried to go through the door again. Avaa blocked his way again.

"Prince Zuko please," she begged,"I-" Avaa broke off. The sentance finished in her head, but she didn't dare say it out loud. It wasn't true...Wasn't it?

"I have to do this, Avaa." Zuko told her. Avaa opened her mouth to protest, but she was knocked unconcious.

Avaa woke up with a jolt as Iroh walked in the door. She sat up quickkly, which she regretted immedently because of her spliting headache.

"Iroh?" he hurried to her side to hold her steady.

"Are you alright? Where's Zuko?" he asked her. Suddenly, Avaa remembered why she had been unconcious.

"Zuko! He went to go find the Avatar's bison!" Avaa said franically. She stood up dispite her head screaming at her not to. Iroh clamly nodded at her response and also stood.

"I'll try to stop him." he said.

"I'm coming with you." Avaa told him.

"Avaa-"

"No! I can't lose him! I-" she broke off again. _Maybe... _Iroh put a hand on her shoulder.

"Avaa, trust me. I need to do this alone," he said gently. She didn't respond. Her heart ached at the thought of never seeing Zuko again. And the thought that he would just leave her... Tears filled her eyes again. She let them roll down her face.

"Please, bring him back, Iroh." Avaa said quietly.

"I will," he assured her,"I promise."

The Blue Spirit opened the door the Dai Li agent had told him about. He saw the Avatar's bison look up at him. It was anchored to the ground with chains.

"Expecting someone else?" the spirit asked as he entered the chamber. The sky bison shifted nervously in it's chains. As the Blue Spirit approached it, it started growling and stomping it's feet. _Looks like he reconizes me._ He thought.

"You're mine now." he said.

The Blue Spirit noticed a shadow blocking the light from the doorway. He turned around quickly and readied his swords for attack. But he dropped his stance when he saw who closed the door.

"Uncle?" Iroh turned to the spirit.

"So," Iroh said faking puzzlement,"the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask." Zuko removed the mask.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison?" Iroh asked,"Keep it locked in our apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him? I'm sure Avaa will cook something for him to eat." Zuko ignored the last few comments.

"First, I have to get it out of here."

"**AND THEN WHAT?!**," Iroh said, incensed,"You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!" Zuko frowned deeply.

"I would've figured something out!" he said ,heatly.

"No!" Iroh shouted,"If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!" Zuko clutched his duel swords tightly. Why was he doing this to him?!

"I know my destiny, Uncle."

"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" Iroh asked forcfully. Zuko turned away, toward the bison.

"Stop it, Uncle. I have to do this." Avaa was bad enough, now Iroh? _Chikshou! Chikshou! _

"I'm _begging_ you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want?" Zuko threw his swords and mask to the ground in frusteration.

--

**Not much to say but the usual asking you for a review. -**


	13. Open Your Eyes

**First off, thank you for suscribing and faving my story. I feel incredibly loved. -**

**Sorry this one took so long, it has given me HELL!! I had to write it about nine different times! What's ironic about this is that it's chapter 13 I've had trouble with. No, I'm not a superstious person, I think it's funny. **

**Anyway, lucky chapter 13!**

**Disclaimers yeah yeah.**

--

Open Your Eyes

Avaa sat at the window waiting for Iroh to return with Zuko. She prayed Iroh had been able to convince him to come back. _And what if he doesn't? _a little voice asked. _What if neither of them come back?_ Avaa shook the thought away. Of course he'd bring him back! But the thought nagged at her in the back of her mind. _What if..._

No! Avaa slammed her fist on the table. Stop worrying! That was one of her biggest weaknesses. Avaa was painfully sensitive about the people she loved. She couldn't bear to see them in pain of any kind and it tore her heart out when she didn't know if they were safe.

That was the only major change in her after her parnets' deaths. _And how troublesome it is._ She thought bitterly. But it was the tried and true way to tell if she cared about you. Avaa sighed. And she definatly cared about Zuko and Iroh, and more about Zuko than she would like to admit. She was sure he had given her a gray hair or two today.

The door opened and Avaa junped to her feet. To her relief Zuko and Iroh entered the apartment unharmed. Zuko didn't look happy. Although, she hadn't expected him to be, because if he came back he hadn't succeded. At least he was safe, for the time being anyway.

Iroh on the other hand looked very pleased.

"You did the right thing," he told Zuko,"letting the Avatar's bison go free." Avaa's eyebrows shot up and she felt a surge of excitement.

"You what?" she exclaimed happily.

"I don't feel right," Zuko said. Avaa pushed that last thought from her head, as amazing as it was.

"Zuko," she said, frowning,"Are you-" She gasped. Zuko had passed out without warning.

"Zuko!" Iroh cried. He and Avaa rushed to Zuko's side. Avaa watched worridly as Iroh looked him over. What was going on? Avaa was worried and puzzled. Zuko had seemed fine this morning and before he left, yet he passed out, out of nowhere.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked Iroh.

"He's sick," Iroh replied. _Zuko's going to give me a panic attack one of these days._ She thought as her stomach flip-floped.

"Is he going to be okay?"she asked.

"He should be," Iroh said calmly. Should be? How could Iroh so freaking calm when Zuko **should be** okay?!

Avaa glanced at him.

"Why do you have to do this to me?" she whispered. Of course, Zuko remained silent.

"Avaa," she looked up. Iroh had moved Zuko's futon into the room. "Help me move him." Avaa nodded and picked up Zuko's legs. Iroh lifted him up by the shoulders. Together they gently lowered him onto the mattress.

"We'll need some water," Iroh said.

"Right," she replied,"I won't be long." She picked up the bucket and hurried outside.

Disorinentated by her franticness, Avaa looked around her for the well even though she had come here many times.

She turned left snd ran to the stone well in the middle of the square. Avaa quickly tied the bucket to the rope. _Chikushou!_ She thought when she almost dropped the rope into the well.

Finally, she lowered the bucket into the depths and pulled out cool, clean water. Avaa slowed down as she untied the bucket, so she wouldn't spill any of its contents. Once the bucket was free, Avaa shuffled as fast as she could without spilling any water.

Avaa rentered the apartment and closed the door behind her. She set the bucket beside and sat on Zuko's opposite side. Zuko grimaced in his sleep, as he tossed and turned. Avaa put a hand on his pale forehead and frowned, She had kids in the Freedom Fighters get some horrible fevers but they had nothing on this. He opened his eyes and looked at her. Avaa could see his pain reflected in his eyes.

"You're burnig up," she told him. She picked up a wet rag and placed it on his brow. "This should help."

"So thirsty," he croaked. Zuko tried to sit up but, Iroh gently pushed him back down.

"Here's some clean water to drink." Iroh ladled water from the bucket. he supported Zuko's shoulders as he drank. Avaa noticed for the first time that Zuko was shirtless. _Oh wow..._ she thought. He looked perfect. Zuko wasn't overly muscular, but he was very toned. Avaa looked at him in a trance. _Gah! No! Stop it! _Avaa shook her head. _Stop doing that! This isn't the time anyway! _

As she came out of her thoughts, Zuko snatched the ladle from Iroh and drained it. He tossed it aside, picked up the bucket, and poured the water down his throat. Some of the water splashed onto his chest, drawing Avaa's attention again. She shoved the thoughts from her head and blushed deeply.

Once the bucket was empty Zuko flung it against the wall before laying back down, coughing. Avaa put her hand on his brow again, This had to be the worst fever she had ever felt. She wished there was something she could do.

Fire Lord Zuko sat at his throne behind a wall of flame. Rows upon rows of masked Fire Nation soldiers faced him. From the corner of his eyes he saw two dragons slithering down pillars beside him. Their scales glimmered in the fire light. The one on his right was sapphire blue, the one to his left was ruby red.

_It's getting late_, the blue dragon said in a smooth yet cold female voice,_Are you planning to retire soon, my lord? _Fire Lord Zuko's expression didn't change as he answered. His unscarred face remained impassive.

_I'm not tired_, he answered. The blue dragon moved closer to him.

_Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let it go, give into it. Shut your eyes for awhile. _The dragon's voice spoke in such soft tones. Fire Lord Zuko's eyes began to close. He _was_ tired...

_**No! **_the red one said. It's voice sounded like a combination of a warm female voice and an older man's. The two voices faded in and out of each other as they spoke to Zuko. _**Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the Blue Dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! before it's too late! **_

_Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko. _the Blue Dragon said.

The dragons faded away, and the pillars crumbled. The soliders' armor collasped, empty. Nothing was left except darkness. Complete black. Fire Lord Zuko's eyes were wide as he searched for any light. Two golden eyes appeared infront of him. The Blue Dragon's face materialized and closed in on him.

_Sleep, just like MOTHER! _The dragon swallowed him. Then, Fire Lord Zuko saw a figure approaching. They weren't walking, it seemed to fly to him. The figure lowered it's hood to reveal a female face. She had brown hair pinned into a flame ornament and gold eyes, just like his.

_Zuko, help me! _his mother pleaded.

Suddenly, the figure disappeared. He was once again sitting on his mat, but in darkness. Then, out of nowhere a hole opened up under him and he was sucked once a gain into blackness. He heard another voice. One of the Red Dragon's, the female.

_Zuko. Zuko. It's okay, wake up. _

Zuko moaned again in his sleep. Iroh had left for a minute to get more water. Avaa mopped his brow with the wet rag. She pet his raven black hair as he tossed from one side to another. Zuko muttered something, but Avaa couldn't understand it.

"Mom." he said. Zuko grimaced. "Mom!" Avaa couldn't bear seeing him like this. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently shook it.

"Zuko. Zuko. It's okay, wake up." she said in a stage whisper. He sighed as he woke up. Zuko opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" Avaa asked him. Zuko looked around him before answering.

"Yeah."

"Sorry I woke you up, but you were having a nightmare and-"

"Don't be." Zuko said quietly,"That was a really bad nightmare." Avaa half-smiled and rubbed his shoulder.

"Need anything?" He shook his head.

"No." Zuko closed his eyes again. Avaa looked at him. He was so beautiful. She stroked his hair again and sang,

"Hush now, my baby. Be still, love ,don't cry. Sleep as you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember, my last lullaby. So I'll be with you when you dream." That was her comfort song. Whenever she was feeling bad, she hummed or sang it. She hoped it might help Zuko sleep a little easier.

Iroh walked inside. Avaa stood and turned around when she heard him come in.

"Is he okay?" he asked. Avaa nodded.

"He had a nightmare," she said,"but no better no worse." Iroh nodded thoughtfully.

"Perfectly normal." Avaa tilted her head.

"Iroh," she said,"You seem to know something I don't." He looked away, thinking.

"Avaa," he started,"Zuko's illness is not natural." Avaa's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Zuko let the Avatar's bison go free. That's not something he normally do." Iroh replied.

"Well of course not but what-"

"What he did was in such conflict with what he _would_ do, he's at war with himself." Avaa let that sink in. She glanced at Zuko again. It looked like he was having another nightmare.

"Is there nothing we can do to help him?" she asked, turning back to Iroh. He shook his head.

"But there's got to be something," she persisted,"A medicince or-"

"It won't work," Iroh said in the tone he used with Zuko earlier that day,"This isn't a natrual sickness." Avaa growled.

"We've got to do something!"

"All we can do, is be here with him," Iroh told her. Avaa turned away from him. For the second time tears formed in her eyes. Iroh put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what this must be doing to you, but..." he sighed,"This is a process that he has to go through by himself." Avaa took a deep breath and turned back to Iroh.

"I'm sorry." She said. Iroh half-smiled.

"Everything will be fine," he assured her,"I promise."

Avaa nodded and sat back beside Zuko. He still mumbled in his sleep. She still didn't like not being able to do anything to relive his pain, but she would be here for moral support not matter what.

Zuko didn't get much better that night. If anything, he got worse. Everytime he went to sleep he had nightmares, and he couldn't keep his food down. Zuko moaned and muttered in his sleep. Avaa felt exhasted, physically and emotionally. Of course she didn't complain or rest. What she was feeling didn't hold a candle to Zuko.

Avaa forced her drooping eyelids open. She shook her head violently and pinched herself. _Stay awake!_ Iroh noticed her falling asleep and waking herself up.

"You should get some sleep," he told her. Avaa shook her head again, although not as hard.

"It's alright," she answered, "I need to stay awake."

"What do you think will happen while you're asleep?" Iroh asked.

"I'll be fine I-"

"Avaa," Iroh said sternly. He sent her gentle chastise look which made her lower her head.

"A woman needs her rest," he said softly, "And Zuko will be fine. I'm still here." Avaa was silent. He was right, she was just being...well herself. _I guess...I guess it wouldn't hurt._ She laid down on the floor and closed her eyes. It felt good just to lay here and rest. But before she fell asleep she said,

"Iroh?"

"Hmm?"

"You were right," Avaa yawned,"I _do_ love him." Iroh might have responded, but Avaa fell into the soft, velvet blackness that was sleep.

--

**I promise it won't take as long to post the next chapter as this one.**

**Again thanks for reading! **


	14. Promise

**Alright, this is the fluffy chapter you've been waiting for. Enjoy it now while you can. (dun Dun DUN!)**

Promise

Zuko walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was a bright morning in the Upper Ring. Iroh stood at the stove in the enormous and beautiful kitchen.

Zuuko noticed a strange but pleasant smell meet his nose as he walked in.

"What's that smell?" he asked.

"It's jook," Iroh replied, then said,"I'm sure you wouldn't like it." Zuko leaned over the potof thick white paste and inhaled. It smelled really good. His stomach reminded him how hungry he was.

"Actually, it smells delicious. I'd move a bowl, Uncle." Zuko picked up a bowl to be filled with jook.Iorh gave him a curious look, but ladled the paste into the bowl.

"Now that you fever is gone, you seem different somehow," he said suspiciously. Zuko smiled.

"It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shjop. Things are looking up, Uncle." Zuko sat at the table, and sipped from his bowl. He looked out the window.

_This place really is beautiful, _He thought. The Upper Ring was like a massive garden in the literal middle of the city. There were still several apartment complexes and houses crowded together, but grass, trees, and flowers grew in empty patches. Unlike the Lower Ring, where the most plant life you'd see were the pathetic little tufts of grass growing in the roads, trampled by thousands of feet.

Avaa had seemed to be the most pleased about the change of scenery. She didn't seem to like city life much, as amazed as she was at it at first.

Zuko's heart gave a happy jolt at the thought of Avaa. Lately, everytime he saw her, she became more and more beautiful. Not that she wasn't before, he just seemed to be noticing it for the first time.

As if on cue, he heard a rustle of cotton robes and a feminine voice yawn. Zuko turned and smiled at a very groggy Avaa.

"Good morning,"he said pleasantly. Avaa blinked curiously at him. Zuko grinned at how surprised she was. Soon, her surprise melted into an equally pleasant smile.

"Good morning."she said. She looked at Iroh at the stove and her expression fell into confusion again.

"I thought I was going to make breakfast today," Avaa said. Iroh turned to her.

"It's fine," he said, " Are you hungry?" He held out a bowl full of steaming jook. Avaa smiled again.

"I'm starving." She took the bowl and sat beside Zuko. he looked at her fondly. Avaa noticed his look and pulled her hair behind her ear.

"What?" she asked. Zuko blinked and shook his head slightly.

"Nothing," he told her.

After they finished breakfast they started walking toward the teashop. Iroh walked infront of Zuko and Avaa. He looked like he was ready to skip up the stone pathway.

"Come on," he called, "We don't want to be late." Avaa smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen Iroh this happy," she told Zuko.

"I have, but not since I last saw my cousin, Lu Ten," he replied.

"Iroh has a son?" Avaa had never heard him mentioning he had a child.

"Had," Zuko corrected, "Lu Ten died during Uncle's 600 day seige on this city." Avaa frowned.

"Oh," she said quietly. Zuko half-smiled.

"But you should have seen them together. They were as close a father and son could be." As he said the last sentance his smile fell.

"Let's focus on the shop," Avaa said quickly, "This is a happy day." Zuko's smile was full again.

"Right."

"We're here!" Iroh exclaimed. He was standing on the top of a small flight of stairs and was looking at something in the distance. Avaa and Zuko dashed up to his side. Avaa's mouth fell open when she saw the building.

The shop stood in a small square, surrounded by flowerbeds and with a founatin in the middle. The structure itself was beautiful. The walls were jade green and roof was gold.

"Iroh," Avaa said,"It's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" he said grinning. Avaa broke into a run toward it.

"Come on!" she called happily.

The trio ran up the stairs and into the shop. It was even more beautiful on the inside, if that was possible. People already sitting at tables, patiently waiting to be served tea.

"Who thought when we came to this city as refugees that I'd and up owning my teashop. Follow your passion, Zuko, Avaa, and life will reward you."

"Congratulations, Iroh," Avaa said cheerfully.

"I'm very thankful," he replied, smiling.

"You deserve it. The Jasmine Dragon will be the best teashop city," Zuko said.

"No, I'm thankful because you decided to share this special day with me," Iroh put a hand on Zuko's arm, "It means more than you know." Zuko gave Iroh a warm hug, much to Iroh's pleasant surprise. Avaa smiled at them.

"Now let's make these people some tea," Zuko said. Iroh smiled.

"Yes! Let's make some tea!" he said. Avaa thrust her fist in the air.

"Yeah! Let's get to it!" she exclaimed.

Katara walked from the military base with the message scoll in hand. She headed toward the Palace. She kind of wished Sokka were here. He was the military strategy guy, but she could live with it. She just had to deliver the scroll to the Earth King.

As she walked she noticed a new teashop. The Jasmine Dragon. _Hmm.. it wouldn't hurt to take a break. _

"What do you say Momo?" Katara asked the lemur on her shoulder, "A cup of tea before we get back to the King?" Momo chittered and she walked inside the building.

"Table for two please," Katara told the employees by the door. They bowed politely and went to find an empty table. That was when Katara heard a familar voice.

"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee!" Katara turned and saw Zuko in a waiters uniform. He was speaking to Iroh who was working behind the counter.

"I'm brewing as fast as I can!" Iroh said smiling. If that wasn't enough she was Avaa pick up a tray of teacups and give a smile one would only give to a close friend.

Katara was frozen in shock for a moment. _The Fire Nation is in the city! _she thought, _And Avaa's one of them!_ Katara wasted no time and ran as fast as she could to the palace.

_How could they have gotten in? _Katara wrestled with that thought as she ran down the palace halls. _And Zuko no less! Since when could he do anything right?_ Of course he did have Iroh and Avaa. Avaa seemed to be the clever type.

Katara burst into the throneroom. Suki and two other Kyoshi warriors knelt infront of the throne.

"Thank goodness you're here, Suki," Katara said between breathes, "Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city. I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle! We have to tell the Earth King right away!" Suki rose to her feet.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to let him know," Katara stared, dumbfounded. _Azula!_ Momo leaped off her shoulder with a frightened squeak. One of the flase Kyoshi warriors rushed toward Katara, flipping through the air. That could only be Tylee. Katara pulled the water from her reserve and prepared for attack, but Tylee struck her shoulder as she flipped behind her.

Katara fell to the floor into the pool of water, completely paralized. _Chikushou!_ she thought _**Chikushou!**_ The three 'warriors' gathered around her.

"So," Azula said, "Zuzu's in the city too. Ithink its time for a family reunion."

Avaa, Zuko, and Iroh were cleaning up the shop for the evening. Luckily, another employee volenteered to wash the dishes, or rather persuaded. Because of that, Avaa helped Iroh clean off the tables. He would pick up all the dishes and she would wipe off the tables. Zuko swept the floor.

As they were cleaning a man walked inside the shop. He walked to Iroh and handed it him a scroll.

"A message from the royal palace," he said. Avaa glanced up at Iroh. He read the scroll with a look of worry on his face, but it slowly turned into astonishment.

"I...I can't believe it," he muttered. Avaa put down the rag and walked to Iroh's side.

"What?" she asked.

"What is it, Uncle?" Zuko asked also walking over.

"Great news! We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!" he said. Avaa stared at him wide-eyed.

"No way!" she exclaimed. Iroh grinned.

"Read for yourself!" He handed her the scroll. Avaa read it over. Sure enough, it invited them to the palace. Only by 'them' it ment Iroh and Zuko. Avaa's smile fell when she reached that line. She had want to go too, but she put on a false smile as she handed the scroll back to Iroh.

"This is great, Iroh," she said, "I'm sure you and Zuko will have a good time." Iroh brow furrowed.

"You're coming too," he said.

"But it says you and your nephew," Avaa told him. Iroh waved it off.

"I'm sure the Earth King won't mind a beautiful girl such as yourself tag along. Besides, we are a trio not just a duo." Avaa smiled and bowed to Iroh. He responded with a pat on her shoulder.

"Let's finish up so we can go home," he said,"We're going to see the Earth King tomarrow." Iroh dashed to the back of the ciy.

Avaa stared out the window absently at the cool night. It was really late and she should have been sleeping, but she just couldn't . She had too much on her mind.

Avaa heard soft, muffled footsteps behind her.

"Can't sleep?" Zuko asked. Avaa turned around and shook her head.

"Me neither," he replied as he sat beside her. Avaa turned back to the window, but she didn't register anything out there. She was aware of every move Zuko was making. He seemed to make her...nervous lately.

"Zuko?" Avaa asked.

"Avaa?" Zuko said as she did. They laughed nervously at their timing.

"You go ahead," Avaa told him.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. She nodded. She was glad she could stall. She wanted to say it of course, but it was nerve-racking to even think about telling him.

"Alright," Zuko said. He exhaled deeply, and ran his fingers through his hair,"Umm. You've been a really, really good friend Avaa, but," he paused. He spoke very hestiantly, like he didn' trust himself his words were right,"I think I've startedto like you more than that," Avaa stared at him. _Is he saying what I think he's saying?_ "I love you." Avaa had to remind herself how to breathe. Happy chills ran through her body, and she smiled widely.

"What were you going to say?" Zuko asked. He looked alot less nervous. Avaa laughed quietly.

"That I love you." He smiled and hesitantly took her hand in his. Avaa's cheeks turned pink and she squeezed his hand gently. Zuko lowered his gaze before leaning foreword. Avaa took the hint and also leaned in. They met each other halfway and shared a sweet, tender kiss. It was light with no tongue, but it was the best Avaa ever had.

They moved their lips away from each other but let thier noses and foreheads touch. Avaa looked into his golden eyes. They looked beautiful even in the moonlight, they never lost their gleam. Zuko sanked his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Avaa lay her head on his shoulder.

Avaa couldn't describe this feeling. She felt completely safe and loved, and that nothign existed besides Zuko. She didn't want to be anywhere else except in his arms; she never wanted to leave him.

As she thought of this, Avaa realized how close she had been to losinghim a few days ago.

"Zuko?" she asked.

"Hmm?" He looked at her.

"Promise that you'll never leave me?" Zuko tightened his hold on her waist and rested his head on hers.

"Promise."


	15. The Seige of Ba Sing Se

**Just a warning this chapter is a lot longer and previous ones. The chapters will probably be longer from here because...well why don't I continue this after you've read it.**

**Disclaimers yeah you know the drill.**

**--**

The Seige of Ba Sing Se

Avaa looked at her reflection in the mirror again and again. It seemed almost impossible she could look this...well pretty. Or feel this pretty either. Avaa stood in a dress fit for a lady and was dumbfounded that she actually looked the part.

She turned to the side. There was no way she was that thin. Of course she wasn't a toothpick, but she looked good if she did say so herself. Avaa faced the mirror again. The dress itself was beautiful. Jade green silk covered her from the neck down on different tints.

As good as she looked, something still wasn't right. Avaa ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it back. _That's it!_ She wove her hair into a braid but left a bang hanging beside her face. Avaa wouldn't look like herself without it. She smiled at her reflection. _Perfect._

A sudden knock made her turn to the door.

"Avaa? Are you ready?" Iroh asked from behind the closed door.

"Yeah," she called. Avaa opened the door and stepped into the corridor that linked the bedrooms together. Iroh smiled and Zuko stared in pleasant surprise. Avaa smirked at him.

"Didn't think I could look this good, huh?" she asked. He smiled.

"You look even more beautiful than usual," Zuko said. Avaa hunched her shoulders and smiled.

"You clean up pretty good too," she replied. Zuko and Iroh were also in there best robes. Zuko was dressed in golds and browns; Iroh in bright emerald greens.

Zuko nodded his thanks. Iroh stepped toward the kitchen.

"I think I'll watch for the carriage," he said as he left the two teenagers alone.

They were slient for a moment, Zuko glanced at his feet and Avaa twisted her fingers.

"You know," Avaa said finally,"I'm really glad I met you two. I haven't felt this...complete since my parents died." Zuko half-smiled.

"Yeah, life's been on my side, lately," he said. Avaa put her arms around him, which he replied with a kiss on her forehead. After their embrace Zuko pulled something out of his pocket. It looked slender and wooden. He held it out to Avaa. It was a knife. She took it handle first and examined it.

"Read the inscription," Zuko told her. Avaa unshethed the knife and read the writing on the pearl blade. Her brow furrowed when she was finished.

"Made in the Earth Kingdom?" She had expected something meaningful, not a copyright.

"The other one," Zuko said. He made a gesture to flip it over. Avaa did so and read that inscription. This time it was meaningful.

"Never give up without a fight," She looked at Zuko and held out the knife to him,"It suits you." He smiled and folded her arm back to her side.

"I want you to have it," he said. Avaa gave him a slightly questioning look,"It feels like the right thing to do." She looked at the knife again and tilted it toward and away from the light. This obivously ment alot to Zuko. She should give him something in return, and she knew exactly what to give him.

Avaa reshethed the knife and took off her pendant. She took Zuko's hand and placed it in his palm.

"This was my mother's," Avaa told him, "She gave it to me before she died. I want you to keep it." She closed his fingers around it and moved her hands away. Zuko looked at the pendant.

"Your mother's," he murmured,"Are you sure you want to give it to me?" She nodded.

"It feels like the right thing to do." Zuko smiled and hugged her again.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too." They probably would have stayed like that all day, but they were interupted.

"Ah-ham," Iroh said, peeking his head into the hallway,"I don't mean to interupt but the carriage is here." Zuko and Avaa let go of each other and followed Iroh outside. As they approached the carriage, Avaa slipped Zuko's knife into her robes. There wasn't enough time for her to put ot in her room. She would keep it safe in her pocket.

The carriage ride was very smooth, which was a very good thing beause Iroh's tea set was very fragile. It would not have been pleasant if anything broke inside that ornate white box. Iroh would have been very upset, but right now he was in good spirits.

When the carriage stopped the trio exited and began walking to the palace entrance.

"Many times, I imagined myself here, at the threshold of the palace. But I always thought I would be here as a conqeror...instead, we are the Earth King's personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing." Iroh said.

"It sure is Uncle," Zuko replied with a smile on his face. Avaa nodded in agreement.

"Mm-hm. I never would have guessed I'd be here in Ba Sing Se with two members of the Fire Nation's royal family." Avaa lowered her voice and stepped closer to Zuko,"Or that I'd be in love with one of them." Zuko smiled widely.

When they got to the entrance they were told to go to the teahouse on the grounds. It didn't take long to get to the ornate little building. What _was_ taking long was the Earth King arriving.

Iroh, Zuko, and Avaa sat a table infront of a throne on a raised platform. Iroh poured tea for himself while he waited. Zuko said what was everyone's mind.

"What's taking so long?"

"Maybe the Earth King overslept," Iroh suggested. Avaa was about to voice another explanation when they were surronded by several men in dark green robes. They wore circular hats and gloves made of rock. Avaa reconized them instantly. They were the men who took Jet away. _Dai Li. _she thought.

"Something's not right," Zuko said. Avaa nodded.

"Yeah, I don't like this," she said mostly to herself.

A girl entered the room. She was probably a year or two younger than Zuko and Avaa, but she had the most commanding presense.

"It's tea time," she said mockingly. Zuko shot to his feet.

"Azula!" So this was Princess Azula. She looked exactly like Avaa imagined her. Very beautiful and very evil. Avaa stood up beside Zuko.

"Have you met the Dai Li? They're earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that is so firebender. I just love it!" Azula said. She noticed Avaa and gave her an interested look. It took all of Avaa's courage not to avert her eyes.

"Who's this?" she asked. Zuko side-stepped toward Avaa.

"Leave her out of this," he said protectivly. Azula turned her gaze on her brother.

"Calm down," she said,"I just think I know someone who's looking for her." Avaa's eyes widened. _Hotaru has found his way to __**her?!**_

"Chikushou," she hissed, frowning. Iroh stood up with the cup of tea in hand.

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the 'Dragon of the West'?" Azula examined her nail, all interest in the trio gone.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle," she said in a bored tone.

"It's more of a demonstration really," he said before taking a sip of tea. Zuko smirked. Avaa looked at Iroh, confused. She was about to ask what he ment when Zuko wrapped his arms around her and ducked. Avaa looked up and saw breifly, Iroh breathing fire at the Dai Li circled around them. She smiled. _Go Iroh!_ He stopped and Zuko pulled her up.

"Come on!" Zuko threw a fire blast at the wall and jumped through. Avaa followed him and quickly looked behind her to see if Iroh was catching up, he was. He breathed more fire at two Dai Li agents. They made swift thrusts with thier hands. Small rock bullets whizzed by, barely missing the trio.

They turned a corner and saw a wall infront of them and nowhere to go. _A dead end!_

"Get down!" Iroh shouted. They stopped and curled up on the ground. **BOOM!** Lighting struck the wall infront of them, breaking it. Avaa looked up and saw Iroh continue running to the ledge of the building. He jumped out, gving a small shout as he fell. Avaa turned behind her. Azula was in the lighting postion and had smoke coming from her fingers. There was an evil gleam in her eye.

Avaa jumped up, and followed Iroh over the edge, and landed in a bush shaped like an ostrich-horse. At least, she thought it was an ostrich-horse. There wasn't much left of it after she landed.

Avaa groaned in pain. Her side already felt sore, but that was the least of her worries. Zuko was still standing on the ledge.

"Come on, You'll be fine," Iroh said. Zuko didn't jump.

"No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula," he said. _**What?!**_ Avaa scrambled to her feet.

"Zuko!" she called, but he had turned away and walked back inside. Iroh slapped his forehead, frusterated.

"Now what do we do?" Avaa asked. Iroh picked himself up and ran for the gate. Avaa followed close behind.

"Don't worry. I have a plan," he assured her.

Zuko stood infront of his sister and her Dai Li agents.

"You're so dramatic," she said,"What are going to do, challenge me to an Agni Kai?"

"Yes!" Zuko replied, determined,"I challenge you!" Azula smiled mockingly.

"No thanks." Zuko raised both hands, making a large ball of flame. He pushed it toward Azula. She watched clamly as two Dai Li stepped between her and the fire and raise a large rock, blocking the attack. Both agents threw their gloves at Zuko's feet. Zuko lost his balance and put a hand on the floor to steady himself. That hand was also bound to the ground. He tried in vain to pull himself free. _Chikushou!_

The Dai Li took Zuko to a large boulder in the palace. One of the agents rolled the stone away to revel an underground tunnel. Zuko wasled to the entrance and he saw the cave below. It was filled with glowinig green crystals.

"You've got company," the agent told someone at the bottom. He pushed Zuko into the cave. He landed at a familar someone's feet. The Avatar's waterbending friend.

"Zuko!" He looked up and saw her expression change form surprise to loathing. The Dai Li resealed the entrance behind him. _Perfect. _Zuko thought.

Avaa and Iroh stood infront of a lavish house in the Upper Ring. Iroh had just finished telling Avaa his plan and caught a Dai Li agent.

"So we're asking _them_ for help?" Avaa asked after he finished. She gestured at the house as she said 'them'.

"Yes," Iroh replied.

"And you're sure they _won't _kill us." Iroh paused.

"I highly doubt that they will." Avaa glanced at the house.

"I suppose we have no choice." Iroh nodded once and walked onto the porch with their captive Dai Li in tow. He knocked on the door and it was opened by a short black-haired girl. A boy with an arrow on his head stood beside Sokka. Both were behind the girl and both were in shock.

"Glad to see you're okay," she said.

"We need your help," Iroh told her. Avaa noticed the girl's eyes were blank and unfocused. Sokka stared at Avaa in disbelief.

"Looks like we have met again, Sokka," she said,"Unfortunatly it's under worse circumstances." The Avatar pointed at her and Iroh.

"You guys know each other?!"

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice," the girl said. The Avatar turned to Sokka.

"How do you know her?"

"She was the girl who helped me get my boomerang back," he replied.

"May we come in?" Iroh asked. The girl nodded and Avaa and Iroh entered the room. Sokka crossed his arms.

"So I guess you're Fire Nation," he said to Avaa.

"Half," she replied,"But I don't think we should get into this right now. Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."

"She must have Katara," the Avatar said.

"She has captured my nephew as well," Iroh said. The boy donned a look of determination.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula and save Katara and Zuko." Avaa smiled at him.

"Woah there," Sokka said,"You lost me at 'Zuko'." Avaa frowned deeply at him.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him," Iroh said. He placed his hands on Sokka's shoulders in a pleading way.

"Good inisde him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?" Sokka shoved Iroh away. Avaa stepped forward.

"Now wait a second, Sokka," she said angrily, "You still owe me remember? Without _my _help you wouldn't have your boomerang." Sokka gave her a look. He knew she was right, but Avaa could tell he still didn't like it.

"Katara's in trouble," the Avatar said," All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance." Sokka closed his eyes and nodded. The Avatar smiled.

"We brought someone along who might be able to help us." Iroh walked outside to the porch with everyone following right behind him. They faced thier captive Dai Li. The girl earthbended him to his feet and Avaa removed the cloth covering his face. He had a small scar on his right cheek.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King," he said. Sokka stepped forward.

"My sister!" he said angrily,"Where are they keeping Katara?" He pointed a machete at the Dai Li agent.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace." Everyone ran down the steps, Avaa turned and ran toward the palace.

"Where are you going?" the girl asked her. Everyone looked her way as she turned around.

"What do you mean, where am I going? I'm going to the palace." Sokka smiled like he knew something she didn't.

"You haven't met Appa have you?"

Zuko sat in the cave quietly while the waterbender paced angrily back and forth, verbally abusing him.

"Why did they throw you in here?" she asked in an accusing tone,"Oh wait. Let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches." Zuko turned to her for a moment before turning back and saying nothing. He would just wait this out, Uncle Iroh and Avaa would be here soon.

"You're a terrible person, you know that?" she continued,"Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's las hope for peace!" Zuko winced at her words,"But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood." Zuko frowned. Not everyone in his family was like that. His mother and Uncle Iroh were prime examples.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he told her.

"I don't-? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally," She turned away from him and crouched down,"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." She began to sob into her arms. Zuko turned around completely.

"I'm sorry," he said,"That's something we have in common." The waterbender looked at him, genuinely surprised.

Avaa held on for dear life as they flew. She gripped Appa's fur tightly and forced herself no to look down.

"Are you okay Avaa?" Sokka asked.

"Fine," Avaa squeaked,"I love Appa, flying...not so much."

"Yeah?" the black-haired girl asked,"Me too." Avaa took some comfort knowing that someone was just as scared as she was.

"I never caught your name," she told the girl.

"Toph Bei Fong," she answered,"Avaa right?" Avaa nodded. Toph was silent.

"Well, answer me," she snapped. Avaa frowned a little.

"I did."

"Did you nod?" Toph asked. Avaa nodded again and said,

"Yes."

"Yeah, that's the problem. I'm blind. You need to speak," she said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Oh," Avaa said,"Sorry." Toph shrugged.

"It's okay, Avaa." Avaa looked forward. The Avatar sat on the sky bison's head as he steered him.

"So he's the Avatar," she said. Sokka nodded.

"Yeah, but you can call him Aang. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." he replied. Avaa nodded and risked a look at the ground. They were starting to desend.

Once they landed Toph jumped off Appa and put her hand on the ground.

"Well, whaddya know. There _is_ an ancient city down there, but it's deep." She waved her fist foreward and created a small crater in the ground.

"We should spilt up," Sokka said, " Aang you go with Iroh to look for Katara and teh angry jerk...no offense." Iroh looked at Sokka calmly.

"None taken." Avaa compressed her lips and crossed her arms. Sokka looked at her.

"You know it's true," he said. Avaa rolled her eyes and sighed.

"He isn't always," she mumbled.

"We have yet to prove that,"Sokka replied,"I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup."

"Where do I go?" Avaa asked.

"Avaa," Iroh said, placing a hand on her shoulder,"Go with Sokka and Toph." Avaa frowned and opened her mouth to protest, "Trust me." Iroh told her. She gave him a reproachful look. This was a replay of the day Zuko ran off to find Appa. He asked her to stay behind then too, and he had brought Zuko back. Avaa was sure he could do it again, although she still hated staying behind.

"Please, bring him back." Avaa said.

"We'll do our best," Aang said as he stepped forward beside Iroh. Avaa smiled and gave him a grateful bow.

"I'm counting on you, Aang," she said. He bowed respectfuly back and the five of them went their separate ways.

Avaa, Toph, and Sokka climbed the stairs toward the entrance to the palace. Momo, the lemur, sat on Toph's head.

"There's General How!" Sokka said gesturing to a tall man in Earth Kingdom armor. He and Avaa looked up and saw Dai Li on the colums supporting the roof. Sokka pulled Toph behind a column and Avaa followed. As the general drew closer one of the Dai Li agents dropped down and slung a shackle on one of General How's arms. Another agent did the same. The general growled as he pulled on the chains. A third Dai Li agent dropped infront of the chained officer.

"Arghh! What's going on here?!"

"You're under house arrest," the agent said.

"The coup is happening right now!" Sokka whispered, "We've got to warn the Earth King!" He pulled Toph toward the palace and Avaa, again, followed.

They ran through the halls of the palace before bursting into the throne room. In a normal sitaution Avaa would have admired the beautiful ornate room, but his wasn't the right moment. The Earth King sat on the throne with two female warriors kneeling infront of him. A bear was sitting right beside him.

"Thank goodness we're in time!" Sokka said as he ran inside the room.

"In time for waht?" the Earth King asked. Avaa was surprised at his apperance. She had expected a tall, strong, stately earthbender in his forties. The Earth King infront of her was probably in his mid-thirties and looked like an intelligent rather than brawny man. He looked at Avaa. "Who's this?"

"Ordinarily, your Majesty, I would introduction myself, but there are more pressing matters right now," Avaa said quickly. One of the warriors was now infront of Sokka, smiling at him. Toph earthbended a rock underher and sent her airborne. Unfortunately, she landed gracefully on a badger mole statue.

"They're not the real Kyoshi warriors!" Toph said. The Earth King gasped and looked at the second girl, still kneeling infront of his throne.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she said. She threw three double bladed daggers at Toph, who earthbended a slab of rock blocking the projectiles. Then, she kicked the boulder at the girl, but she jumped over it. Fortunately, Toph knocked her away with a rock after she landed.

The girl fell to the floor infront of Avaa.

"I don't remember you," she said, picking herself up. Avaa branished Zuko's knife.

"I'm new," she replied. The false Kyoshi warrior smirked.

"I'd hate to kill you on your first day,"she said. Avaa raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked continuing the battle banter.

"Nope." The warrior threw arrows at Avaa who dodged them with ease. She aimed a kick at the girl's legs, but she jumped away. The girl jumped threw more arrows. Avaa ducked sideways and was about to charge when she saw Azula.

She was behind the Earth King and held a blue flame to his head.

"This fight...is over," she said. Toph, Sokka, and Avaa raised their hands in surrender, but shot Azula deep loathing looks, espically Avaa. The first false Kyoshi warroir jumped to them and jabbed in assorted places. As soon as she applied pressure to the points Avaa flet numb. She tried to move her arms but they stayed limply at her sides. She, Sokka, and Toph fell over, totally helpless.

Momo tried to escape, but a Dai Li agent threw his stone gloves at him. To Avaa's horror Momo landed with a thud next to the girl. He wasn't harmed, but she still couldn't stand to see him treated that way.

Azula roughly shoved the Earth King away.

"Get them all out of my sight," she said. The false warriors dragged Toph away. Avaa and Sokka dragged behind Dai Li agents. The Earth King ws also lead away by a Dai Li agent, but he could still use his legs.

Avaa looked at Azula. She sat on the throne proudly and watched as they were dragged across the floor. Avaa had never felt so humiliated, even more than when Zuko had to rescue her from Hotaru.

Azula smiled evily with gleam of pleasure in her eye. _Mesuinu!_ Avaa thought savagely.

Zuko stood with the waterbender who had calmed down quite a bit. She looked at her feet.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

"It doesn't matter," Zuko replied. He kind of deserved it anyway.

"It's just for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face," the waterbender said.

"My face," Zuko said. He placed a hand on his scar,"I see."

"No,no that's not waht I ment," she said regretfully.

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark." He still had yet to determine his destiny. Whatever it was he hoped Avaa would be with him. The waterbender ws silent for a moment.

"Maybe you can be free of it," she said. Zuko turned back to her.

"What?"

"I have healing abilities."

"It's a scar. It can't be healed." The waterbender reached under her shirt and held out a small vial.

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important," she walked to him, "I don't know if it would work, but.." Zuko stared at her. _Could she really... _He imagined himself without his scar. In his mind he stood beside Avaa who smiled happily at his unscarred face. yes, this was what he wanted. Zuko closed his eyes in silent acceptance. The waterbender placed her hand on his scar and exaimined it.

Before she could do anything else there was a large crash. Zuko opened his eyes and saw the Avatar with Uncle Iroh.

"Aang!" the waterbender said. The Avatar stared at her and Zuko, confused. Probably because they weren't trying to kill each other. The waterbender ran to the Avatar and hugged him. The Avatar hugged back, but glared at Zuko. Iroh ran to Zuko and hugged him around his shoulders. Zuko glared back in defense. What was the Avatar doing here? Where was Avaa?

"Aang, I knew you would come," the waterbender said happily.

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?" he pointed at him.

"Saving you that's what," the Avatar snapped. Zuko snarled and almost lunged at him, but Iroh held him back.

"Zuko, it's time we talked," he told him. Then he turned to the Avatar and the waterbender. "Go help your friends. We'll catch up with you." The Avatar bowed before running off. The waterbender followed slowly, casting one last sad look at Zuko before leaving.

"Where's Avaa?" Zuko asked Iroh.

"She's at the palace," he replied,"I need to talk with you. You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been.And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" Zuko shut his eyes to think it over, but was startled by a quake. Green crystals shot out of the ground until they got to Iroh, trapping him. Zuko got into his battle stance as Azula and two Dai Li entered the cavern. She advanced until Zuko was directly between his sister and uncle.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko...you're alot of things, but you're not a traitor are you?" Azula asked. Zuko blocked out her words.

"Release him immediately!" he said.

"It's not too late for you Zuko," she continued,"You can still redeem yourself."

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you," Iroh told him.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula asked sharply. When she spoke to Zuko her voice was smooth and cold like the Blue Dragon's. "I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have father's love. You will have everythign you want."

"Zuko," Iroh said,"I'm begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truely want." Zuko looked at Azula, then Iroh. He closed his eyes again and hung his head.

"You are free to choose," he heard Azula say. Zuko jumping from one choice to the other. The Avatar or his father. His honor or his new life.

Although they were down, they certainly were not out. As soon as Toph, Sokka, and Avaa got their mobility back they were planning their escape.

Sokka was standing at the door to their cell, looking through the metal bars.

"See any Dai Li agents near by?" Toph asked.

"Nope," Sokka replied,"All clear." Toph cracked her knuckles and placed her hands on the door. She crushed the metal with superhuman strength. The metal screeched as Toph crumpled it like paper.

"Great spirits," Avaa muttered, wide-eyed. Toph was _the_ greatest earthbender in the world.

She slammed the door into the hall causing it to bounce off the walls several times. Toph, Avaa, and Momo ran out. Sokka grabbed the Earth King's arm and pulled alongside.

"Let's go," he said.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco!" Avaa didn't know who he was refering to. Maybe it was that bear that always was around him.

As they ran Avaa looked at Toph.

"Toph, you're awesome," she told her. She smiled.

"Yeah. I am pretty awesome aren't I?" If anyone else said that Avaa would have labeled them concited, but when Toph said it, it sounded like 'thank you.'

When they entered the throne room they saw the false Kyoshi warriors had made a wardrobe change. They now wore clothes similar to Azula's. _Oooh, matching uniforms. _Avaa thought sarcasticly. The girl who threw knifes sat on the stairs to the throne and the acrobatic one played with the bear.

"Come on, it's easy," she said,"You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones. Like this." The girl did a handstand and walked foreward on her palms. She didn't get far ,though. Toph earthbended the floor around her hands, catching her by surprise. She fell foreward and Toph earthbended her feet to the ground also. The bear growled and clapped his paws happily at her awkard postion.

"That _is_ a nice trick," Toph said. She lifted a boulder, Sokka unshethed his boomerang, and Avaa branished Zuko's knife. Everyone was ready to attack the knife-thower.

"Just take the bear." she said apathetically. The Earth King ran up to the bear and hugged it around it's neck.

"Bosco!" he said happily. He buried his face into Bosco's fur.

"Come on," Avaa said,"We've got to find the others."

"Yeah, you guys do that," the knife-thrower said,"I'll stay right here."

"Yeah," Toph said. She trapped the girl in rock,"You're not going anywhere." She glared at them as they ran out of the throne room. Hopefully, Iroh and Aang had rescued Zukoand Katara. Ava had faith in Iroh. He brought Zuko back once, and he'll do it again. She knew he would.

When they reached Appa Katara was kneeling beside him. Her hair was down and she held Aang in her arms. He looked bad, really bad. Blood trickled down his back. Katara looked close to tears.

Avaa stopped.

"Great spirits." Toph stopped beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Avaa started to run toward Appa.

"Aang's hurt," she told Toph. Toph followed her.

Everyone was gathered around Aang and Katara.

"What happened?" Sokka asked.

"Azula," Katara answered simply. Everyone looked grave.

"Come on," Sokka said getting on Appa,"We've got to get out of here." _Zuko._ Avaa thought _Iroh._ Evryone piled on Appa and they took off into the skies. Avaa wasn't as scared this time, not of the flying at least. She was afraid for Aang.

Katara took out a small blue vial and waterbended the contents into her palm. The bead of water spun in a circle and glowed bright blue. Katara placed the glowing water on Aang's back. It soaked into him and appeared not to have done anything. Katara held Aang to her chest and began to vry. Then, Aang's arrows glowed for a instant, a second later he groaned. Katara gasped and looked at him. Avaa couldn't see Aang's face, but Katara was smiling. He was okay. Avaa sighed in relief.

Beside her, the Earth King looked back at the city shrinking behind them.

"The Earth Kingdom...has fallen," he said hopelessly. Avaa gave him a sad look. She lifted her hand to put on his shoulder when a splitting pain rang through her. She felt extreme pain and numbness at the same time. Avaa doubled over and cried out. Suddenly, her vison went black even though her eyes were wide open.

A picture formed infront of her eyes as clear as if she were in it. Azula, Zuko, and Iroh stood in a cave filled with glowing green crystals. The vision faded to just Azula looking at Zuko. Avaa heard her voice but her lips didn't move.

_The only way we win is together... You will have your honor back. You will have father's love. _Iroh faded in next.

_Look into your heart and see what it is you truely want. _he said. The scene changed to Azula and Aang fighting. In slow motion fire landed between them. They turned to Zuko who had shed his outer robes. He stood in his firebending stance. He looked at Azula who glared at him harshly. Then, he looked at Aang. The Avatar gasped just before Zuko threw fire at him. _No! __**NO!**_ Avaa thought. But her vision wasn't over yet. It faded to Aang levitating in a pillar of light. His eyes and arrows glowed. Suddenly, a bolt of lighting struck him. The vision faded to Azula smiling. Smoke trailed fromher fingers. Aang fell to the ground. Avaa's vision ended.

She could feel the wind tugging at her hair and Appa's soft fur under her. Avaa's fore head felt like it had been resting under a two ton boulder. But she stood up and looked back at the city. Zuko was still there, with Azula, **on her side!** He left her. Like he said he wouldn't.

_Zuko?_

_Hmm?_

_Promise that you'll never leave me?_

_Promise. _

Avaa tried hold back her tears, but they spilled anyway. She sobbed into her hands. The Earth King gently guided her back into sitting down. She felt like dieing. The people she loved were taken away from her again. And the person she loved more than anyone had foresaken her.

**--**

**Told you it was long. As I was saying at the top. The chapters will be longer from here because I'll cover Zuko and Avaa. So I probably have to use whole episodes instead of just the parts featuring Zuko and Iroh like before. **

**Things are going to get a little dark from here also. **

**Review please. **


	16. Aftermath

**Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been on vacation. - But to make up for it, I've got two new chapters instead of one. Although the second is short, but important. **

**In this chapter the most important thing takes place in Zuko's half. Originally it was going to be at the end of The Seige of Ba Sing Se, but it would have been too long. **

**Hopefully updates wil happen alot sooner now, because I'm trying to finish as many chapters as humanly possible before the new episodes air. Wish me luck. **

**Disclaimers yeah. **

--

Aftermath

Avaa stared at the horizon, heartbroken and disappointed. No one else was in much better spirits. The five of them, plus Bosco and Momo, were dead silent.

No matter what she tried to think of, Avaa couldn't shake off this feeling of misery. Her memories constantly reminded her of what seh had lost. She was surrounded by friendly people but she had never felt so alone. She felt like going home, but she had no home to go to. A few tears trickled down her cheeks, but she quickkly wiped them away.

Avaa heard a small chitter and Momo landed on her leg. He looked up at her with big emerald green eyes. Avaa smiled slightly and pet his head, which he responded to with an affectionate purr.

"How much farther to Chameleon Bay?" Avaa asked Sokka. He was sitting beside her, steering Appa.

"We're almost there," he replied. He looked at her and noticed her sad look,"Are you okay?" Avaa nodded.

"For the most part." Sokka didn't respond, but turned back ahaead. Avaa sighed and stroked Momo's ears. The lemur successfully kept her painful thoughts and memories, if only for awhile.

When Avaa glanced at the water again, she saw several boats with deep blue sails. They looked Water Tribe to her. She was about to turn to Sokka to confirm her suspicion, when he said,

"We made it." Avaa smiled wearliy. _Finally. _

Zuko walked thruohg the metal halls of the prison area under the palace. He needed to see Uncle Iroh. Not talk to him, just _see_ him. Zuko's mind had been more chaotic than a pack of hog monkeys.

Zuko was about to round the corner when he heard two soldiers in a conversation.

"I can't believe General Iroh is a prisoner now," one said.

"A member of the royal family, Fire Lord Ozai's own _brother_!"

"I know, I served under his command during the first seige. He was a great leader and a great man..." Zuko looked down guiltily. With every word he felt worse and worse.

Zuko steeped into the hall with the soldiers.

"You two don't know what you're talking about. General Iroh, traitor to his country," he snapped. They stared at him, taken aback.

"Please forgive us," one said,"Prince Zuko I-" Zuko shot fire at his and his compainion's feet.

"Get back to work!" They recoiled from the flames and watched Zuko stomp away.

He was met by another soldier on his way out of prison.

"Prince Zuko," he said, "Princess Azula wants you to join her in the dining hall for your victory feast." Zuko sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this.

"Tell her I'm busy," he told the soldier.

"She also mentioned that it was not a request." Zuko frowned deeply.

"Fine," he growled.

In no time they landed safely on a shoreside campsite surrounded by cliffs. Blue tents of various sizes dotted the area.

Once they were on the ground a tall, handsome Water Tribe warrior approached them quickly.

"Is everything okay?" he asked,"Did you find Katara?" Everyone got off Appa.

"_I'm_ fine, Dad," Katara said. She still holding Aang in her arms. When her father's eyes rested on him, his expression changed from worried to grave.

"What happened?"

"The Fire Nation had infiltrated the city," Sokka said simply,"We tried to stop them." The man's brow furrowed.

"Come on." He put an arm around Sokka's shoulders and started walking to the camp. Everyone silently followed.

Avaa sat in the main tent witheveryone else in the camp, eating. Most of the food looked really good, execpt for some wrinklely brown things. She sniffed over the bowl and recoiled. They smelled like rotten fish. Avaa gagged, and leaned to Sokka.

"What are those?" she asked, pointing to the bowl.

"Sea prunes, they're really good," he replied before eating one himself. Avaa raised a very skeptical eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" Sokka nodded earnestly.

"Try one." Avaa turned back to the bowl and hestiantly picked up a prune with her chopsticks. After another moment of hesitation she put it in her mouth. Avaa nearly threw up. Not only did they smell like rotten fish, they _tasted _like rotten fish. Only out of courtersy did she swallow the food.

Sokka eagarly waited for a response. Avaa turned to him.

"It must be an aquired taste," she told him, still grimacing. Sokka shrugged.

"Must be." Sokka and Katara's father looked at Avaa.

"I don't think I've introduced myself to you," he said, " I'm Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father." Avaa could see the resemblance between him and Sokka. Katara must look more like her mother.

"I'm-" she started.

"Avaa," Sokka finished for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder,"Our half-Fire Nation friend." Avaa turned to him, unsure if he was joking about the friend part. He looked serious. His hand on her shoulder felt friendly. Hakoda smiled.

Zuko sat at a table across from Azula in the palace's dining hall. A victory feast lay before them. Every food imaginable was on the table, and a few dishes Zuko had never even heard of. Zuko poked at his food and occiasonally ate something. From across the table he could Azula's gaze on him.

"Are you alright, Zuko?" she asked him, "You're not eating much."

"I'm fine," he answered, not looking up from his plate. He took a small bite of Komodo Chicken.

"It's alright to mourn, but you don't need to strave yourself," Azula commented. Zuko looked up at his sister. _Mourn?_

"What are you talking about?" Zuko asked her. Azula raised her eyebrows in mild surprise.

"You don't know? I assumed they told you," she said. She ate a bit of rice. Zuko frowned at her.

"What's going on, Azula?" he demanded, now more concerned that she wasn't telling something than the fact that he should be mourning.

"That girl you lived with, Avaa," Azula paused to sip from her cup. Zuko suddenly felt uneasy.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but," Azula turned her eyes on Zuko and paused dramatically,"She's dead."

Zuko felt a knife spear his heart.

"What?"

"It was a complete accident," Azula continued casually,"I'm sure the Dai Li didn't see her there." The image of Avaa being crushed by a boulder forced itself into Zuko's mind.

"You're lying!" he yelled, standing up. Azula looked at him calmly and spoke, this time much more seriously.

"I'm not, Zuko. I saw her body. She's dead." Zuko's throat constricted and he shook slightly. He quickly left the dining hall and walked down the corridor. He didn't even know where he was going, he just needed to get away. _Avaa dead, _he thought. She couldn't be dead! She just couldn't...But why would Azula lie about something like this? The answer to that was she wouldn't. Even Azula wouldn't lie about someone's death.

Zuko's good eye burned and filled with tears when he realized this. Avaa is dead. He stopped walking and found himself in the garden. A small breeze ruffled his hair. He remembered how Avaa almost always smiled at a gust of wind. Zuko would never see that smile again.

He looked up at the star filled sky and clentched his fists in anger. _Why did she have to die? Why?_ he thought. Zuko scowled and curled his fists harder. Then he flung fire from them into the air.

"Is this my punishment for betraying them?!" Zuko roared, "You would even take someone else's life to make me suffer!" The tears spilled from his eye and rolled down his cheek. Zuko sobbed. Avaa smiled warmly at him in his mind's eye. "She didn't deserve to die!" Zuko fell onto his knees and broke down into enraged tears.

Avaa walked toward her tent with Toph and Sokka from the main tent. Sokka and Toph were having a laugh about the Earth King and Bosco.

"And then," Sokka managed to say between laughs,"you should have seen him feed his bear dinner. He cut tiny little morsels and fed him with chopsticks." Toph bent over laughing. Avaa smiled and chuckled half-heartedly.

"Oh man, that Earth King's bear is so spoiled," Toph said," Sometimes I wish I was him."

"It was hilarious, it took Bosco hours to finish his plate," Sokka said.

The three of them split up to their tents.

"Well, I'm off to pick my toes, pick my nose and go to bed," Toph said. Avaa raised an eyebrow but smiled. She liked Toph.

"Goodnight," Sokka said, getting in his tent.

"Goodnight, Toph," Avaa called to her.

"G'night Avaa," Toph answered back. Avaa turned to her tent and was about to get in when she heard Sokka yelled in surprise.

"What's that bear doing in my tent?!" he exclaimed as he pointed at the structure. Avaa looked at the Earth King.

"Bosco's not used to sleeping without a roof over his head," he said," And he just loves comfy bedding." Sokka didn't look amused. Avaa turned back to the Earth King, then to Sokka again. The latter grumbled and entered the tent. It shook while he and Bosco tried to settle in.

Then, the Earth King put his head in the tent and said,

"Sweet dreams, Bosco." Avaa heard the bear growl in reply, " and Sokka." Sokka growled also which Avaa chuckled at. The Earth King started walking back to his tent.

"Couldn't Bosco stay in _your_ tent, your Majesty?" Avaa asked him.

"There's not enough room in mine," he replied. Avaa gave his back a skeptical look. There wasn't enough room in Sokka's tent either.

Avaa looked to her left and saw Katara exit Aang's tent. Her hair had been woven back into a neat braid, but her expression hadn't changed.

"Goodnight, Katara," Avaa said. Katara looked at her.

"Goodnight," she muttered as she entered the adjacent tent.

When the light went out in Katara's tent Avaa creeped into Aang's. He lay on his back, heavily bandaged. Avaa slowly stepped to his side and sat down. As she looked at the fallen Avatar's face she couldn't help but feel responsible for his injuries. And for the fall of Ba Sing Se. None of this would have happened if she and Iroh hadn't asked himto help them find Zuko.

"I'm sorry, Avatar," Avaa whispered.

Avaa stood in near complete darkness. She was surrounded by black, but strangely, the ground she was standing on was deep marroon. She couldn't quite figure out what it was made of. _Where am I?_ she thought.

_Avaa. _a familar voice called. Avaa turned around and saw Zuko stadning a distance from her, smiling. There was a white glow surrounding him. He looked like an angel.

Avaa smiled back, despite her logic telling her to slap him. Zuko looked so overwhemingly beautiful and good. But Avaa's smile faded as a dark shape appear behind him. It looked like black smoke. What made it eerie was that it stood out against the darkness behind it. As Avaa stared at it, it took shape. Soon the smoke turned into a completely black Azula. All of her was black except for her golden eyes and paper white teeth. _Zuko behind you!_ Avaa said as the dark Azula summonded a knife. Zuko began to turn around, but it was too late. The demon stabbed Zuko between his shoulders.

**NO!** Avaa cried. Zuko doubled over and cried out. He looked at his hands which were slowly turning black. The darkness crawled up his and when it reached his chest, it spread to his feet and to his face.

Avaa watched in horror as Zuko writhed in agony. The darkness took over him completely. He stood, bent over at the waist, breathing heavily.

_Zuko, _Avaa whispered. Zuko looked up at her quickly. His eyes were entirely golden like the demon Azula's. Avaa recoiled when he snarled at her. Azula chuckled and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

_**Kill her. **_she said. Zuko lunged at Avaa, who cried out and jumped backward.

Avaa gasped when she opened her eyes. A quick survey of her surroundings revealed it was just a dream. She sat in her tent, on her cot, with no demon Azula or Zuko to be found. Avaa took a deep breath to calm down, which worked for all of five seconds.

The sound of footsteps made Avaa nearly jump out of her skin. Insticntivly, she reached for a weapon. Her hand found a knife which she quickly unshethed. Avaa grabbed the cloth covering the entertance of her tent and waited for another sound. She heard the rustle of cloth on the side enterance. With a gasp she whipped around and poited the knife at the door.

Toph crawled the rest of the way into the tent. Avaa lowered the knife.

"Toph!" she exclaimed quietly.

"There's someone outside," she said.

"I know," Avaa answered, "Do you think I'm holding this knife to practice my woodworking?"

"Sorry, but I can't really _see_ it," Toph retorted. Avaa scratched the back of her head.

"Right, sorry."

"It's fine, but let's focus on the guys outside," Toph said. Avaa nodded, then said,

"Let's go." Toph nodded and crawled back out the tent, with Avaa following close behind. They emerged in a large bush.

"I see why you came over here," Avaa said,"Cover."

"That, and you're athe best warrior in the general area." Avaa stopped.

"What about Sokka?"

"What about him?" Before Avaa could respond, the invaders walked infront of their bush. Both girls were in the ambush ready mode, but Avaa noticed something familar about those boots.

"Pipsqueak?" she said. The boots stepped foreward, towards Toph and Avaa.

"What is it?" a kid's voice asked.

"Did you hear that?" a deep man's voice asked the child's. Avaa's face lit up when she reconized them.

"You just blew our cover!" Toph hissed.

"It's okay," Avaa replied, "I know them." She shook the bush.

"Pipsqueak! The Duke!" she said as she crawled out. Once she was in sight Pipsqueak scooped her up in his arms and gave her a bear hug.

"Avaa!" he and the Duke exclaimed.

"You guys know each other?" Avaa turned and saw Sokka, Katara, and Toph standing out in the open. Sokka had asked the question.

"Sokka! Katara!" the Duke and Pipsqueak said. Pipsqueak set Avaa back on her feet.

"Wait," Avaa said, "How do _you_ know them?"

"We came across their hideout on our way to the North Pole," Katara answered,"What about you?"

"I was one of the Freedom Fighters at a time, until they found out tha I was half-Fire Nation. Then, Jet ran me out." Sokka, Katara, and Toph winced at Jet's name.

"What's wrong?" Pipsqueak asked.

"We met up with Jet in Ba Sing Se," Sokka said,"And ran into some Dai Li and Long Feng." Avaa felt her stomach churn. She didn't like his tone.

"Last we saw, he was hurt very badly," Toph continued. Avaa looked away and ran her fingers through her hair.

Azula watched Zuko leave. No doubt he was going to go into his room and cry. It wouldn't surprise her at all. She had no idea what that Avaa girl, or Mai saw in him. That thought made her turn to the opposite doorway. A pale slender girl leaned against the wall and smirked at Zuko's back. Then, noticing the Princess's gaze, pushed off the wall and walked to Azula's side.

"Thanks Azula. It really means alot to me. But I feel kind of bad Zuko's this upset," she said.

"Think nothing of it, Mai," Azula replied,"Don't worry too much about Zuko. He'll be fine once you get together with him." Mai smiled. Having his girlfriend 'dead' will sever any ties Zuko had with the Avatar's side. And getting a new girlfriend loyal to the Fire Nation would be only strenghten his bond to his choice.

Azula smiled to herself. She was not only a master firebender, but a master manipulator.

--

**I had to explain Maiko somehow and this was perfect. I can't stand Maiko and it's going to kill me to write it. **

**Review pretty please. **


	17. Downward Spiral

**Okay short but important chapter. It's like I'd Lie. So yeah sorry for shortness. **

**Disclaimers. **

--

Downward Spiral

Avaa once again found herself in the usual place, but this time it was a bit more familar. Gnarled trees and mist surrounded her, as well as ankle deep muddy water.

"Hm," Avaa said to herself, "Back again." She reached inside her robes, but felt no pendant. After a small moment of panic she remembered where it was, or at least where it **should **be. Zuko.

Avaa's heart gave a painful throb. Five weeks still hadn't eased the pain. She sighed and took out the pearl knife from her pocket.

_I love you. _Zuko said in her memory.

_I love you too,_ she answered. Avaa clutched the knife handle and let a few tears roll down her cheeks. He obivously didn't love her enough.

"Avaa," a familar voice said. Avaa turned to the mist. It floated as brightly as before. Although, it seemed more human this time.

"How am I supposed to find the Mirror now?" Avaa asked,"I gave the pendant away." For some reason she felt like she had to see something in the Mirror. Like she was brought here for a reason.

"I know, but you can find it on your own, " the mist said.

"How?"

"Follow your heart and not your head and you'll reach your destination."

"What if I get lost?"

"I'll help you find your way. What you need to see in the Mirror is very important." Avaa nodded and the mist faded away.

"Alright follow my heart," Avaa said to herself. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. On an impluse she started walking right. After walking she stopped and turned left. She did this a long distance. Walking on impluse, stopping on impluse, until she came face to face with a familar sight.

Avaa looked at the veil for a moment before entering the cave. Nothing had changed really, but the whispers sounded a little different. They sounded more solmn thatn before. Avaa was surprised how intune she was to the Spirit World. To anyone else's ears they would probably sound the same.

When she reached the cavern, she wasted no time getting to the Mirror.

"I knew you'd be able to find it,"the voice of the mist said.

"I wish to know what you needed to show me," Avaa said, getting to the point. The roses and vines once again melted into another form. This time the frame was of dark green and orange jade with gold separating them to create a pattern. It reminded Avaa of the Earth King's throne room. Avaa's and the cave's reflections faded away and a picture of a moonlit garden in the Upper Ring. In it's center stood a large fountain surrounded by trees and flowers.

As Avaa watched two people entered entered through the gate. Zuko and the knife-thrower. _What the-?_ Avaa thought. The two stood for a moment, just looking around. Zuko looked at a rose bush and picked a soft pink flower from it.

_Here. _he told the knife-thrower. She looked at the rose strangely.

_What's that for? _she asked. Zuko looked at it.

_I thought you might like it. _

_Why would I like it? You just killed a plant, then tried to give me its corpse. Gee, thanks. _Avaa stared, dumbfounded. _Wow._ was all she could think. _Wait a second. Why is Zuko trying to give her a flower anyway?_

Zuko looked at the bloom again and threw it on the ground. The knife-thrower looked at an apple tree and smirked.

_Hey, Zuko. _she said as she picked an apple, _Remember this game?_ Zuko looked confused for a moment, then frowned.

_Yeah. _The girl continued to smirk.

_What do you say we play a round? _She placed the apple on Zuko's head. _Your turn._ Zuko didn't look amused. The knife-thrower stepped back a few paces then shot and threw a knife at Zuko. At first it looked like it would spear the apple, but as it got closer the knife was heanded right between Zuko's eyes. Avaa's and Zuko's eyes widened.

"Zuko!" Avaa cried. Zuko stepped back instinctivly and tripped on the edge of the fountain. He landed in the water with a large splash.

The knife-thrower smiled evily as Zuko pulled himself from the water.

_Now we're even,_ she said. Zuko glared at her, but it didn't faze her. The knife-thrower leaned foreward and kissed him. Avaa's heart stopped.

"Wha-" she whimpered. _This can't be happening!_ Avaa let out a cry when Zuko kissed back.

"No. No, no, **no!**" she sobbed. Avaa buried her face in her hands. She screamed out her sobbs, but nothing made the pain go away. "Just kill me now!" Avaa sobbed uncontrolably.

Avaa leaned against the railing of their commendiered Fire Navy ship. She watched globs of seaweed float by. She sighed.

"You know," Avaa heard Sokka say,"Being on this ship keeps reminding me of Zuko." Avaa winced at Zuko's name.

"Yeah, it makes it hard to forget that he betrayed us," Katara said. Avaa rolled her eyes. _Here she goes again._

"He had tricked me into believeing that he had changed and that he was going to choose good," Katara continued,"I still can't get over it. Not only did he betray us, he tried to convince me that he lost his mother." A spark of anger lit up Avaa's eyes. She turned around.

"Would you please shut up, Katara?" Avaa snapped, "I'm tired of hearing you go on about how Zuko betrayed _you._"

"I'm talking about how he betrayed _all _of us," Katara said.

"Zuko didn't betray _all _of you. He betrayed me and Iroh," Avaa said, getting irrated," _We_ actually knew and cared about him, you guys probably would have killed him if you had half a chance. So shut your airhole about it!" By the time Avaa finished, she was yelling. She stomped away back below deck and into her room.

Avaa slammed the door shut. When she turned around, she noticed Zuko's knife on her bed. She picked it up and looked at it. When tears started to form, she threw the knife at the wall. When it made impact it made a satisifying clang. Avaa sat down on her bed adn held her knees to her chest. Then, she heard a knock on her door.

"Avaa." Toph said as she pushed the door open. Avaa said nothing, "Avaa if you're in here, answer me."

"I'm here," Avaa said quietly. Toph walked to the bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean? Everything's fine," Avaa lied.

"Avaa, I don't need to feel your heart beat to tell that you're lying." Avaa looked away.  
"Can you tell if it's broken?"

"What happened? You were fine yesterday," Toph asked.

"Zuko's going out with that knife-thrower girl." Avaa replied.

"Really? I bet they make a great couple," Toph said the last sentance with sarcasm, "Why does that bother you?...Wait, how do you even _know_ that?"

"I can go into the Spirit World, it's a long story," Avaa answered, " And because I - I love him. " Toph was silent. Avaa looked back at her.

"Toph?"

"Sorry, just thinking. Does he love you back?"

"Obivously not anymore!" Avaa snapped.

"But he _did _say he loved you."

"Yeah," Avaa said very quietly. Toph put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. but you still have me, Katara, Sokka, and Aang, once you get to talking to him."

"Yeah?" Avaa looked at Toph.

"Of course! You may be half- Fire Nation and have a thing for our enemy, but you're our friend."

--

**Poor Avaa. I told you things would darker from here. Now, I'm off to write the next chapter. It's late nights and caffine for me now! **

**Please review. **


	18. The Land of the Living

**Whew! Done! I've got to say I didn't think I'd be able to finish with days to spare, but hooray! I did! **

**I'm pretty satisifed with this chapter now that I've typed it up. I'm most proud of the Avaa and Aang moment.(Not romantic, just so you know.) Oh. This is the first chapter with a swear word that's not in Japanese, but don't worry, it's very mild. **

**Anywho, enjoy! **

**(Disclaimers.)**

--

The Land of the Living

Aang opened his eye. He felt terrible. He could barely move at all, and he had a massive headache. With alot of effort Aang sat up on the edge of the bed. He clutched his stomach. He felt sick as he watched the room sway before his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked no one. As the room startedto slow down Aang saw it clearly for the first time. The first thing he noticed was there was an overwhemingly amount of red around. Then, he noticed the entire room was made of metal. Aang looked behind him and saw a banner with a Fire Nation insignia.

"Oh no!" Aang jumped off the bed and out of the room. He leaned against his glider and hobbled down the hall. _I've got to get out of here!_

Aang prayed he wouldn't have to fight anymore. He was exashated already. He peered around the corner and saw three figures at the end of the hall. Two were Fire Nation soldiers and one was a woman.

"You hear something?" The taller soldier asked. Aang gasped and ducked behind the corner. He rounded the corner and blasted a gust of air at the trio. While they shielded themselves from the blast Aang ran past them.

"He's awake!" the tall soldier exclaimed. Aang continued to run as fast as he could. Which wasn't easy because he couldn't straighten up completely.

"Stop! Wait!" the woman called. Aang looked back for a moment before running up a small flight of stairs. He fell over and his glider slid to the feet of two unusal Fire Nation soldiers. What was unusal about them was that Momo was sitting on one of their shoulders. Aang sat up a little.

"Momo?" The soldiers looked at the staff, then at Aang. Momo chittered happily and flew to Aang as he picked himself up. Momo gave Aang's a affectionate look.

"Twinkle-Toes, that's got to be you." Aang heard Toph say.

Everyone started to gather around him. Toph and Katara ran to him excitedly. Both of them were wearing the Fire Nation cloaks. Bato and Hakoda were the soldiers who had Momo. A shorter soldier, wearing a mask stood beside them. The two soliders from the hall also walked over, along with the woman. They were actually Pipsqueak, the Duke, and that girl who was with Iroh. Aang was pretty sure her name was Avaa.

"Aang! You're awake!" Katara said happily.

"Are you sure?" Aang asked as he rubbed his eyes," I feel like I'm dreaming." He stumbled backward a little when Katara hugged him.

"You're not dreaming!" she said, "You're finally awake." She let go as the masked soldier approached and gave Aang a quick hug.

"Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy." The soldier sounded strangely familar.

"Sokka?" Suddenly the world began spinning again. Aang wobbled on his feet.

"Uh-oh! Somebody catch him, he's gonna..." Toph said. Aang didn't hear the rest of the sentance because his whole world went black.

Zuko stood on deck, looking out to sea. The moon shone brightly behind the clouds, casting a soft silver light everywhere. The breeze keptblowing his hair infront of his face. His troubled thoughts had brought him out here to find some peace.

"Aren't you cold?" Mai asked him.

"I've got alot on my mind," Zuko replied,"It's been so long. Over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how I have changed." Mai sighed.

"I just asked if you were cold. I didn't ask for your whole life story," she said. Zuko felt a ping of annoyance resonate through him, until Mai wrapped her arms around his shoulders,"Stop worrying." She pulled his face closer and gave him a kiss. Then, she let go of him and went back below deck. Zuko looked back at sea. The thought of his home and his father continued to nag at him inside his head. And one particular painful thought appeared when he thought about Mai's kiss.

Zuko looked foreword solemnly, waiting to step out on the balcony. He knew he should have been happy, but he just wanted to get this over with. Azula stood beside him, also waiting, but she had a gleam of pride in her eye. Zuko looked down at his boots.

"Your princess, Azula, clever, and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom's capital," Li and Lo said, "In Ba Sing Se she found her brother, Zuko, and together they faced the Avatar. And the Avatar fell, and the Earth Kingdom fell," Cheers from the crowd floated up to the balcony,"Azula's agents quickly overtook the city. They went to Ba Sing Se's Great Walls, and brought them down! The armies of the Fire Nation surged through the wall and swarmed over Ba Sing Se, securing our victory." More cheers from the people below, "Now the heroes have returned home. Your princess, Azula!" Azula walked foreward edge of the balcony with the crowd for her all the way,"And after three long years, your prince had returned. Zuko!" Zuko walked out of archway and faced the habor. The crowd continued to clap and cheer. This should have a great moment, but it didn't feel right. The heroes. Heroes was what they called them. Zuko didn't feel like a hero.

Avaa sat crossed-legged with the others. Everyone had a steaming bowl of noodles on their laps and chopsticks in their hands. Finally, they were joined by Aang. After six weeks of unconsiousness he had grown a head full of hair.

"After, what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety," Sokka told Aang,"We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone."

"Well, not completely alone," Avaa piped up,"Of course Bosco went with him."

"Soon," Sokka continued," the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we're been traveling west," Sokka pointed to Chameleon Bay on the map infront of them and moved his finger in the appopriate direction," We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships but none have bothered us." Aang nodded then turned to Avaa.

"Why are you here? Not that it's a bad thing," he said.

"After the seige I didn't have much place to go. I just kind of tagged along," Avaa replied. Aang nodded again.

"So what now?"

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan," Hakoda said.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan," Katara snapped. Avaa rolled her eyes slightly at Katara's anger toward her father.

"Yes, Sokka's plan," Hakoda said calmly, "We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but solar eclipse will still leave Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and the Duke."

"Good to see you again Aang," Pipsqueak said.

"And the best part is, the eclipse can't even our biggest advantage," Sokka lowered his voice," We have a secret," He looked left, then right,"You!" Aang looked at Sokka confused .

"Me?" Sokka smiled.

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead!" Sokka stood and raised his arms trimphantly,"Isn't it that great?" Aang looked at him, shocked. _Uh-oh. _Avaa thought. Somehow she knew Aang wouldn't take that part well.

"The world thinks I'm dead? How is that good news? That's terrible!" Aang said, standing up.

"No it's great. It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore," Sokka replied, "And even better they won't expect you on the Day of Black Sun." This didn't seem to comfort Aang at all.

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!" Avaa reached out a hand to try and calm Aang down, but the horn of another ship interuppted her. Avaa looked and saw another Fire Navy ship approaching.

"I'll handle this," Aang said," The Avatar is back!" He grabbed his staff and slammed it on the gorund, revealing it to be a glider. Aang flinched in pain but grabbed the wings, ready to take off.

"Aang, wait. Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation," Katara said. Relcutantly, Aang folded the wings of his glider up.

"Everyone just stay calm," Hakoda said, "Bato and I will take care of this." Hakoda and Bato donned thier helments and the Duke and Pipsqueak covered Appa and Momo in a tarp. Toph, Aang, Avaa, Katara, and Sokka hid in the stairwell leading below deck.

"I hate not being able to do anything," Aang whispered.

"Hopefully, you won't need to," Toph replied. Aang said nothing, but furrowed his brow.

"Don't worry," she whispered to him," Just let everything run it's corse." Aang didn't respond, but Sokka shushed her. Avaa heard a clang as a ramp was put between the two ships. Followed by about three pairs of footsteps.

"Commander, why are you off course?" and officer asked," All wstern feet ships are supposed to support the occupation."

"Actually," Avaa heard Hakoda say," We're from the estern feet. We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah, the eastern fleet," the officer said, "Well, nice to know Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan ment no disrespect, sir," Bato told him.

"I mean how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?"

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." There was a silence except for some footsteps.

Just when Avaa thought it was safe to breathe again Toph dashed up the stairs.

"They know!" she cried. Everyone perked up and Katara also dashed up the steps.

"Chikushou." Avaa muttered.

Zuko sat at the turtle duck pond with a bun in his hands. The water sparkled in the sunlight. It was bright white where the sunlight was reflected and azure blue in the shade. Zuko tore the bread in half and tossed it in the water. The mother turtle duck and her ducklings happily munched on their treat. _This place hasn't changed much. _Zuko thought. He watched the hybrid ducks until Azula's shadow fell over the pond. The turtle ducks quickly swam away and quacked in fright.

"You seem so downcast," Azula observed,"Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately."

"I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished," Zuko replied.

"So what?"

"So, I didn't capture the Avatar."

"Who cares? The Avatar's dead. Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived." Zuko looked away from his sister. He remembered the vial the waterbender had. _This is water from the Spirit Oasis,_ she said in his memory,_ It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. _

"No," Zuko said,"There's no way he could've survived."

Avaa unwillingly slammed into the wall of their hiding spot. A fireball from the other ship had found its target on their hull. She felt a hand grab her arm to steady her. Avaa cringed as her head began to throb.

"You okay?" Sokka asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied. Another explosion rattled the ship. Avaa, Aang, and Sokka climbed up the stairs and through an archway.

They saw a fireball come from the other ship and land in the water with a mighty splash. Aang stepped foreword to try and join the fight. but Sokka grabbed his shoulders and shook his head. Aang stepped back inside and hit his head with his staff in frusteration. Avaa could kind of understand what he was feeling. She couldn't bend at all so she couldn't help. Aang has awesome power and can't use it; it must be killing him.

From what Avaa could see Katara waterbending something below the ship.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" she yelled. Katara pressed her arms down, then flung them into the air, surrounding the area in a thick white fog.

"Wow," Avaa muttered. Suddenly, another fireball pierced through the mist and landed on a pile of stone disks Toph, Pipsqueak an dthe Duke had been firing. Avaa, Sokka, and Aang sheilded themselves from the debris flying toward them.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Aang said as he rushed outside.

"Aang! No!" He grabbed Aang's staff, "You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret. Just let us handle this." Aang looked at Sokka angrily.

"Fine!" he snapped. He snatched his staff away from Sokka and rejoined Avaa in their hiding spot. Avaa gasped when there was another explosion. For a moment everything was covered in smoke.

"This isn't going so well is it?" Avaa said.

"If you guys would let me help maybe things would be better," Aang growled. Avaa frowned slightly.

"You know the others have alot more patience than I do." Aang glared at her uneffected by her words.

"How are we doing?" Toph asked.

"Things couldn't get much worse," Sokka replied. Not two seconds after he said that a giant green serpent burst out of the water behind him. It let out a terrible shriek.

"The Universe just loves provign me wrong doesn't it?" Sokka said after turning around.

"You make it too easy!" Toph replied.

The serpent extended over the ship, ready to strike. Avaa shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact, but none came. Instead she heard the serpent shreik again. She opened her eyes and saw a charred burn mark on the creature. It dove back into the water and reappeared, coiling itself around the enemy ship.

"Thank you, the Universe!" Sokka cried. Avaa sighed and leaned against the wall. Now it was safe to breathe again.

Zuko stood infront of a scarlet curtain covering a familar arcway. A gold Fire Nation insignia graced the curtain's center. Zuko looked at it worridedly. His father was behind that curtain. His _father._ Zuko remembered what happened the last time he was in that room. His stomach gave an uncomfortable churn.

_Stop worrying. _Mai reminded him in his mind. Zuko took a deep breath before parting the curtain and entering the throne room.

Zuko could feel his father's eyes on him from behind the wall of flame as he walked foreword. He fell to his knees and bowed before him.

"You have been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has chnged you," Ozai said,"You have redeemed yourself my son." Zuko looked up and saw a face he hadn't seen in three years,"Welcome home."

Avaa looked over the railing of their now docked ship, inspecting the damage. In all honesty they escaped with less scratches than she thought they would.

"Avaa," she turned to Toph, Sokka, and Katara, " We're going to find Aang and get something to eat," Sokka said, "Come on." Avaa obliged and followed the others to Aang's room.

When they entered Aang sat up from watching water drip from the ceiling and looked at them.

"Hey, Aang, we're going into town to find some dinner," Toph told Aang. Aang sat up and clutched his growling stomach.

"Welll, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea," he said. Sokka pulled out a red headbandand tried to hand it to Aang.

"Here, tie this around her head. It'll cover your arrow." Aang glared at the piece of fabric as if it had insulted him.

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly," he said stubbornly.

"Aang, be practical," Sokka said.

"You guys go ahead without us," Katara told Sokka, Toph, and Avaa,"We'll catch up with you."

They left the room adn Avaa shut the door behind them. Sokka and Toph started walking back above deck, but Avaa stayed put.

"You guys go ahead. I need to get something." They nodded and continued their way up.

Once they rounded the corner Avaa put her ear to the cold metal door.

"I think I understand why being a secret bothers you so much," Avaa heard Katara say,"You don't wan tpeople to think you failed."

"You're right. I don't. But the problem is I did fail," Aang replied.

"Aang, that's not true."

"It is true. I was in Ba Sing Se. I was there, but I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

"Remember, there's still an invasion plan." Katara said calmly. Avaa jumped when she heard Aang's voice again.

"And I hate the invasion plan too! I don't want you or anyone else risking your lives to fix my mistakes." There was a clang of metal falling on metal, then a hardy knock of wood. Avaa cringed," I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord, but now, I know I need to do it alone." There was a silence. Avaa pressed her ear closer to the door.

"Aang," Katara started.

"Katara, please. Just go please."

"Is there anything you need?" Katara asked. Aang's reply made Avaa jump backward.

"I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back." Avaa stared as Katara opened the door and left, without giving Avaa a glance. He's turning into Zuko! He's- Avaa's eyes widened when she realized what Aang was planning to do. She cursed vividly.

Zuko watched his father pace infront of him.

"I'm proud of you, Prince Zuko," Ozai said,"I am proud because your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor." Zuko cringed at these words,"And I am proudest of all of your legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar." Zuko raised his eyebrow. He did what?

"What did you hear?" he asked his father.

"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth." Zuko looked away. Azula!

Zuko opened the door to his sister's room. She lay in her bed.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked. Azula barely stirred.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," she said in a voice more silky than her bedsheets.

"Why did you tell Father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?"

"Can't this wait until morning?" Zuko frowned at her.

"It can't." Azula sighed and sat up.

"Fine," she said,"You seemed so worried about how father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?" This didn't sound a thing like what Azula would do. She swung her legs out of bed and walked to Zuko.

"Call it a generous gesture. I wanted to thank you for your help, and I was happy to share the glory." Zuko looked at his sister suspicously. He didn't believe a word of it. Azula, being generous, thanking someone, **and **sharing? Something was up.

"You're lying." Zuko told her.

"If you say so."

"You have another motive for doing this. I just haven't figured out what it is," Zuko said. Azula walked back to her bed.

"Please, Zuko. What ulterior motive could I have? What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar?" she paused as if she had just thought of something,"Unless, somehow, the Avatar was acutally alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness. But you said yourself that was impossible," Zuko looked away. She was planning something. He just knew it. Azula smiled slyly at her older brother," Sleep well, Zuzu." She lay back on her pillow and Zuko exited her room.

Avaa knocked lightly on Aang's door. Without waiting for an answer she slowly opened it.

"Aang?" He turned around with his glider in hand.

"What is it?"

"Aang, I know what you're planning on doing and I'm begging you, please don't."

"I'm doing this to protect everyone," Aang said, determined," And why do you care anyway? I don't know you." Avaa frowned.

"I know everyone else," she said firmly," And what you're going to do is going to kill them."

"No, it's going to save them."

"You're abandoning the people who love you most! You may be sparing them death but you'll put them through emotional hell! Chasing after your honor will only bring pain. Believe me I know what it's like to be foresaken!" Avaa's vision became blurry behind tears. A few trickled down her cheeks. Aang looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time, "Avatar please."

"Please leave," he said sternly. Avaa looked at him, stricken, then nodded and left. After she closed the door she took in a shaky breath and sank to her knees.

"Great spirits, please save Aang from making a huge mistake. Please." Avaa sobbed quietly,"Don't let the others suffer from this kind of heartbreak." It had been a long time since she had prayed to the spirits. She hoped against hope that they would listen.

Avaa walked up the ramp to the ship with Sokka and Toph. Katara had returned earlier to bring Aang some food, hopefully he was still there to recive it. When Katara ran to them Avaa's worst fears were confirmed.

"Aang's gone!" she said.

"What?!" Sokka exclaimed. Avaa let out an exasperated sigh and held the bridge of her nose. _Thanks for nothing, Spirits. _

"Where did he go?" Toph asked.

"I don't know, but we got to find him," Katara replied. Everyone nodded and ran to Appa. Avaa stepped forward, but stepped back again. What was she thinking? She wasn't part of their group. Katara and Sokka jumped on Appa, but Toph stopped and turned to Avaa. Not that it would make much difference, since she was blind and all.

"Avaa, Come on, " she said. Avaa arched her eyebrows.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, now come on we have to hurry," Sokka said. Avaa smiled and also ranto Appa. Sokka pulled her up. Momo moved from his perch on Appa's horn to Avaa's shoulder.

"We'll meet up with you on the day of the invasion," Hakoda said. Sokka nodded once.

"Yip, yip," he said. Appa gave a groan, then took to the skies.

After searching all night, they found Aang on a small volcanic isle. Aang lay on the ashy ground with his feet in the sea. Momo flew off Appa and onto Aang's chest. Katara jumped also Appa as soon as he landed and hugged Aang's head.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed. Sokka and Toph quickly followed. The four of them shared a group hug, including Appa and Momo. Avaa watched from a distance, smiling a little.

Aang broke away from the embrace.

"I have so much to do," he said.

"I know, but you have our help," Katara replied.

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph asked, rhetorically.

"What about the invasion?" Aang asked. Avaa closed her eyes, then reopened them. _Thank you spirits. And I'm sorry for what I thought earlier. _

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion on the day of the eclispe," Sokka replied.

"Hey what's," Toph asked as she picked up Aang's broken and charred glider,"Oh...it's your glider." She handed the glider to Aang and everyone stood up.

"That's okay," Aang said,"If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." Aang turned to a mound that was spouting lava. He looked at the molten rock solemnly before spinning the glider above his head and jamming into the ground. He jumped away and watched the wood and cloth be comsumed by the flames.

Avaa walked to the others with her head slightly bowed submissivly. They watched as she bowed to Aang.

"Aang, I'd like to join you on your journey," She looked up and him,"If you'll have me."

"Of course," Aang replied," Welcome to the group, Avaa." He bowed back and gave her a knowing smile.

--

**Until next chapter my dear readers!**


	19. Incoginto

**I don't really have anythign to say. I don't like this chapter. It's late and I'm tired.**

**Read and enjoy. **

**(Disclaimers snore)**

--

Incoginto

Zuko scanned the barren landscape around him. The ground below was dried and cracked ash gray soil. The sky was filled with black clouds, swirling in an almost liquid fashion. Everything looked washed out of its color, including Zuko. When he looked down at his robes, they were a very faded shade of red. _**What is this foresaken place?**_he wondered.

The sound of weeping made Zuko turn around. He saw Iroh kneeling on the ground, facing away from Zuko. He appeared to be holding something.

_Uncle? _he asked approaching him. Iroh quickly looked over his shoulder at his nephew. Zuko jumped backwards. Iroh's face was sunken and pale and his hair wildly unkept. He scowled when he saw Zuko.

_Leave us! Go murderer! _he shouted. Zuko knotted his brow in confusion.

_What?_

_Look at what you've done to her!_Iroh turned around and showed Zuko what was in his arms. Or rather _who_ was in his arms.

Avaa's lifeless brown eyes stared at the cloud filled sky. Her skin was paper white and sticking out of her stomach was a knife handle. Zuko's blood ran ice cold.

_Avaa. _he whispered.

_You killed her!_ Iroh bellowed _She loved you!_ Zuko began to back away, shaking his head.

_No. I didn't. _He began to feel his throat tighten with sobs.

_Her blood is on your hands. _Iroh gestured to Zuko's hands that were down at his sides. When Zuko lifted them into view they were covered in blood. It wasn't washed out like everything else in this place. It was bright, bright red.

_No!_ he cried _No, no, no!_

Zuko forced his eyes open to see his room. He sighed in relief. It was a dream, just a dream. Unfortunatly, one part of it wasn't. A pain resonated through his heart when he thought that Avaa had that lifeless stare. Zuko rolled over and grabbed his cloak.

The prince walked along an unguarded path to the prison. Moonlight made it easy to find his way to find his way to the prison courtyard. Zuko looked up at the stone facade. He was about to walk inside when a guard noticed him.

"Who's there?" Zuko quickly turned around and left.

Avaa sat on Appa with the others. All of them were cleverly disguised as a cloud thanks to Katara's waterbending. They flew closer to a small island.

"I think I see a cave below!" Aang said.

"Shush!" Sokka hissed, "Keep quiet!" Aang blew away the mist surrounding them as they landed. Sokka immediantly hopped off and gave the area a quick survey from behind a rock.

"Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that can keep its mouth shut."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in," Toph said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Sokka snapped,"We're in _enemy _territory. Those are _enemy_ birds." He pointed upward at four toucan-puffins perched on topf of the rock. On eof them hopped onto Sokka's head making everyone giggle. Sokka glared at them and the bird, unamused.

"Come on let's check out the cave," Avaa said. The others nodded and began walking toward the seaside cave. Avaa insticntivly ducked when Sokka leaped over their heads to ward off some imaginary threat. He landed and peered aroudn suspiciously before dashing into the cave. Avaa arched an eyebrow and shook her head.

"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins," Sokka said, " Hiding in cave, after cave...after cave...after cave...after cave..." With each 'after cave' his head sunk lower to his chest.

"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people," Katara said, "What we need is some new clothes."

"Yeah," Aang agreed,"blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises we'll be just as safe as we would be in a cave."

"Plus they have _real_ food out there," Toph added," Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat cave hoppers?" She punched the cave wall and several of the small white bugs hopped out. Momo pounced on one and gobbled it up.

"Looks like we got out voted, sport," Sokka said to Momo.

"Let's get some new clothes," Avaa said.

The kids peered over a rock looking at Fire Nation laundry hanging on lines over steam vents. Every item of clothing was a shade of red.

"I don't know about this," Aang said," These clothes belong to somebody."

"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of stealing either," Avaa replied.

"I call the silk robe!" Katara said, smiling. She leaped over the rock and plucked her prize from the line.

"But if it's essential to our survial...then I call the suit!" Aang said. He also ran to a clothes line and harvested his new clothes. Avaa shrugged and followed in everyone's lead.

Avaa took a scarlet sleeveless collared shirt, dark purpleish-red pants a marroon dress and strips of gold fabric. As she passed the sleeping laundry attendant she noticed some sandals and gold wrist clasps. Avaa smiled and added them to her pile of plundered clothes.

Once everyone had their Fire Nation disguises picked out, they snuck to the beach behind the laundrymat to try them on. As Avaa undressed an object fell out of the pocket of her robe. It was Zuko's knife. She picked it up and put it on top of her new clothes. As painful of a memory it held, it was still a percious keepsake.

Avaa donned her Fire Nation garb and tied her hair back in a ponytail except for her bangs which hung by her face in an Azula-like fashion. She was very satisfied with her look until she emerged from behind her rock and saw Katara.

She looked at her clothes helplessly, completely outdone. Katara looked beautiful and Avaa looked normal. Toph, Sokka, and Aang looked really nice in their new clothes too.

"Wow." Sokka said after seeing Avaa,"You pull off this pretty well." Avaa smiled.

"Thank you," she replied, "You guys look pretty convincing too."

"Good, now that we're properly disguised we can go into town," Toph said.

Before they went to get food they stopped to get the finshing touches for their disguises. Katara bought a new choker, Sokka a top knot clasp, Toph a headband and Avaa red lip paint. Avaa also noticed a leather strap she could use to keep her knife on her hip.

Avaa turned to Katara after putting on the make up.

"How do I look?" she asked. Katara arched an eyebrow but smiled.

"Kind of like Azula," she answered. Avaa smiled.

"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago," Avaa said,"So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation- 'Stay flamin'!" Avaa rasied an eyebrow. _Are you serious?_ She and the others followed Aang out of the alley. As they walked by a man eating his lunch Aang turned to him and said,

"Greetings my good Hotman!" The man looked at him strangely.

"Uh, hi. I guess?" Aang stopped as Sokka lead them toward a butcher's shop.

"Oh, we're going to a meat place?"

"Come on, Aang," Sokka said, " Everyone here eats meat...even the meat!" He gestured to an enormous cowhippo eating a pile of fly ridden fish. Aang made a face.

"You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang turned in the opposite direction while the others bought thier food.

As they waited for Aang to return, Avaa studied their surroundings. Surprisingly, it wasn't unlike an Earth Kingdom town. She smiled as a young boy and girl chased after a ball.

"I never expected it to be so much like the Earth Kingdom here," Avaa told the others, "The only difference is that here everything's a shade of red." Sokka quickly shushed her and waved his hands infront of her face.

"We don't want anyone to know we're not from around here," he said.

"No one's going to care if we're from the _colonies._" The butcher, who had perivously looked at them strangely, nodded to himself and turned away.

_Impressive. _Sokka's look told her. Avaa smiled smugly and nodded her thanks.

"Hey, shouldn't Aang be back by now?" Toph asked in a whisper. Katara suddenly looked extremely worried.

"I hope he's okay." she said.

"Relax, I bet he went back to the cave and we didn't see him." Avaa assured her, even though she was a little concerned too.

When they got back to their cave Aang was nowhere to be found.

"He's not here!" Katara said, " We have to go back and look for him."

"Katara, it takes a really long time to get there and back. By the time we started looking Aang would be back here." Avaa told her.

"Yeah, we should stay put," Sokka agreed," When he notices we're not in town he'll come here." Katara nodded and sat on a nearby rock.

Avaa sat on a rock near the cave enterance, watching the sky slowly darken. She held Zuko's knife in her hand, unshethed. Being in the Fire nation was making it hard to keep Zuko out of her mind. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of where she was and who's home it was. Every time it stung like a knife.

Sokka walked to her from his place by the fire.

"You okay?" he asked. Avaa looked at him. His handsome blue eyes were full of brotherly conern.

"Yeah," Avaa answered, "Just being in the Fire Nation keeps unearthing...painful memories." She tilted the knife to and from the light. Sokka noticed the gesture and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He doesn't know what he's thrown away," he told her. Avaa nodded. They both looked up when Aang walked inside the cave. He was covered in burn marks.

"Where have you been?" Katara asked, "We've been worried sick!" Avaa smiled lopsidedly and rolled her eyes. _Katara_ had been worried sick. Everyone else was just worried.

"I got invited to play with some kids after school," he replied. Avaa knotted her brow.

"After what?" Sokka exclaimed. Aang continued to smile.

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomarrow."

"Enrolled in what?!" Sokka said, dumbly. He fell over and landed on the cave floor.

A man walked through the prison tower's corridor. He had a hood pulled over his head and his head down. As he walked a guard from whipped around and pointed his spear at him.

"You again?" he asked, "Stop where you are." The man lifted his head, revealing his face.

The guard stopped.

"Prince Zuko?!" Zuko grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall, "Uhg!"

"I'm going in for a visit," Zuko said in his most menacing voice, "You're gonna stand guard here, and no one is going to know about this." The guard nodded dumbly and Zuko realesed him.

Prince Zuko continued down the hall adn opened one of the cell doors. Sitting behind the bars was Uncle Iroh. He was dressed in rags and his hair stuck out in all directions. Zuko inwardly flinched. He looked almost exactly like he did in his dream.

"Uncle, it's me," Zuko said. Iroh turned his back to the door as soon as he heard his nephew's voice.

All of the gaang now sat arounf the fire. Sokka had pulled himself together long enough for Aang to explain the school thing.

"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea. But it sounds...really terrible." Sokka said.

"Yeah, we got our outfits," Toph added, "What do you want to go to school for?"

"Every minute I'm in that classroom I'm learning something new about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai," Aang showed them a portrait. Avaa noticed that Ozai and Zuko didn't look much alike. She narrowed her eyesto study it more closely. Maybe they had they shared the same eyes. Her heart flinched in pain when she remembered Zuko's face.

"And here's one I made out of noddles!" Aang said, happily. He held up his picture proudly. Avaa smiled faintly. For such a young kid, it had quite a resemblance to the real thing.

"Impressive, I admit, " Sokka said, "But I think it's too dangerous."

"I personally see nothing dangerous about it as long as Aang keeps a low profile," Avaa said. Sokka gave her a unconvinced look.

"Fine," Aang said with a devious look in his eye,"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were _supposed_ to learn about it in class tomarrow..."

"Hmm...I _am _a fan of secret rivers," Sokka shrugged, " Fine, let's stay a few more days." Aang grinned.

"Flamey-o, Hotman!" Avaa watched in puzzlement as he ran of excitedly.

"Flamey-o?" she asked Katara. Katara shrugged. "Mmm-mm?"

Zuko stood at the bars to Iroh's cell. He still wouldn't turn around to look at him. Zuko felt a guilty pang in his chest.

"You brought this on yourself, you know," he said, "We could have returned together. You could have been a hero!" Iroh turned further away from Zuko, "You have no right to judge me, Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se, and you're a fool for not joining me," Iroh said nothing," You're not going to say anything?" In a fit of anger, Zuko kicked a stool and blasted fire at the wall with a cry, "You're a crazy old man! You're crazy, and if you weren't in jail you'd be sleeping in the gutter," Zuko opened the door," You should be grateful _you're_ still alive." He stepped out and slammed the door behind him.

Zuko leaned against the rock wall behind him with Mai in his arms. he looked at the sunset and tried ro ignore the empty feeling inside him.

"Orange is such an aweful color, " Mai commented. Zuko chuckled.

"You're so beautiful when you hate the world," he told her. _Avaa was beautiful when she loved the world. _a little voice said. _**Shut up!**_ he inwardly snapped.

Mai smiled, oblivious to his inner turmoil.

"I don't hate you," she said. Zuko wanted to tell her he loved her, but the words stayed in his mouth. Instead he said,

"I don't hate you too." Mai craned her neck to kiss him. Zuko kissed back despite it feeling empty.

"Ahem!" Azula said. Zuko and Mai pulled away and looked at her, both irratated, "Zuko, could I have a word with you?" He glared at his sister.

"Can't you see we're busy?" He kisssed Mai again.

"Oh, Mai," Azula said, not to be put off, "Ty Lee needs your help untangleing her braid." Mai pulled away and stood up.

"Sounds pretty serious," she said as she left.

Zuko looked at Azula, his distraction now gone. She smiled slyly.

"So... I hear you've been to visit Uncle Fatso in the prison tower." Zuko shot to his feet. That guard had hell to pay with him now.

"That guard told you," he said.

"No, you did. Just now." Azula said smugly. _Chikushou._ Zuko sat back down.

"Okay, you caught me. What is it that you _want_ Azula?"

"Actually, nothing," she answered," Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be **careful**

dum, dum." Zuko gave her a very suspicious look. What was she was planning?!

Avaa drew a line through her row of dislongal row of 'o's triumphantly. Sokka pouted at the dirt drawing.

"Best five out of seven?" he asked. Avaa smiled smugly.

"As you wish," she erased the game and began to draw a new one as Aang entered the cave.

"Hey, Aang," Toph said.

"Hi," he said feebly. Avaa looked up at him.

"How was school?" Aang scratched the back of his head.

"I - uh - got in a fight," Everyone perked up at this.

"You what?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Did you bend?" Katara asked.

"Of course not!" Aang answered, "But the headmaster wants to talk to my parents." Sokka sighed.

"Alright. Katara and I will dress up as Aang's parents and straighten everything out." Avaa looked at Aang and caught his attention.

"Way to keep a low profile," Aang lowered his head.

"Sorry." Avaa waved it off and leaned in closer to Aang so the others wouldn't hear.

"Was he being a jerk?" Aang nodded," Good job then." He smiled.

Avaa lay upside down on Appa's tail, counting the stalactites. It was doing surprisingly well in keeping Zuko from her mind. So far she had counted two hundred and eighty-eight. _Two hundred eighty-nine, two hundred ninety... _There was nothing to do in this cave!

"They're back," Toph said. About ten seconds after that Sokka, Katara, and Aang entered the cavern. Avaa snikered at Sokka's beard and moustache. As soon as they came in Sokka got in Aang's face and sputtered,

"That settles it. No more school for you young man!" He straightened up and stroked his false beard.

"I'm not ready to leave," Aang said," I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time."

"Ha, ha," Toph said mockingly. Sokka scowled.

"Listen guys, those kids at school are the future fo the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better we need to show them a little taste of freedom," Aang told them.

"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked. Aang smiled.

"I gonna throw them..." he did a quick dance flourish," a secret dance party." The others stared at him, stunned.

"Go to your room," Sokka said pointing.

"I think it's a great idea," Avaa said. Sokka frowned at her.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"I'm going insane from boredom. I'll agree to anything," Avaa replied.

Later that night they were arranging for the dance party. As Avaa was walking through Toph earthbended a bandstand from the cave floor. Avaa looked down at the stage she now stood on.

"Nice work," she told Toph before stepping down.

"I can't we're having a dance party," Sokka said as he arrranged candles,"It seems so...silly."

"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork." Aang told him. He demonstrated some of his fancy footwork.

"They're coming!" Toph said," Everyone stop bending!" Aang walked over to Appa.

"Sorry buddy," he told him,"You should wait out back." Appa grumbled and shuffled into the tunnel behind the cave.

"I know, you've got fancier feet than anybody...and six of them!"

When the kids arrived they recruited a few of them to play in the band. As they began playing, Aang jumped in front of the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Flamey-os! Yeah, this should get everyone moving." Avaa glanced at the school kids. No one moved except to shift their weight from one foot to another.

"Now what do we do?" a small green-eyed boy asked.

"This is when you start dancing," Aang answered.

"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave," another boy said as his head disappeared into his collar.

"Yeah, what if someone finds out?" the boy looked around anixously before scuttling away from view. Aang sighed.

"Oh, boy. Listen guys...," he said," dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self expression that no one can take away from you."

"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon," the green-eyed boy told him," But we don't do that here."

"Sure you do. You have for generations," Aang said, smiling, "It just so happens that I know several classic Fire Nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as 'the Phoenix flight'." Aang ran in a circle, kicking his legs foreward and squatting. His arms were streached out behind him like wings. Avaa smiled at the new dance move.

"And this was the 'camelephant strut'." He hopped forward alternateing feet with each hop, while passsing his palms infront of his face. Aang flipped in the air and landed infront of two girls, who giggled, embaressed. Aang flipped backward and landed on one foot.

"Who knew TwinkleToes could dance, " Toph said.

"Well, his name _does_ imply it," Avaa replied as she watched Aang demonstrate more moves.

Despite Azula's warning Zuko knelt at the bars of Iroh's cell. He slid a small package of food through the bars. Iroh faced awy from him.

"I brought you some komodo chicken," Zuko told him," I know you don't care for it, but I figure it beats prison food," He waited for a response. There was none, "I admit it. I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be. The truth is I need your advice," Zuko clentched the bars infront of him, "I think the Avatar is still alive. I know he's out there. I'm losing my mind. Please Uncle, I'm so confused! I need your help," Iroh didn't even move. Enraged, Zuko stood," Forget it! I'll solve this myself! Waste away in here for all I care!"

Zuko walked to the door and opened it. Before leaving he looked back and said,

"I thought you should know Avaa's dead." Without waiting for a response Zuko stepped over the threashold and slammed the door behind him.

Avaa watched Aang do another flip in the air and land infront of another school girl. He held his hand out to her and lead her out to the dance floor.

"And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se," Aang began passing his arms across his chest while stepping side to side. His parter smiled and imitated him.

"Wow, they look pretty good together," Sokka commented.

"Eh, if it's what you like," Katara said, looking away. Avaa smiled knowingly as she gave them a jealous galnce.

Avaa looked back up to a handsome boy, a little older than the others, standing infront of her. He shifted his weight from one foot to another nervously.

"Hi, I'm Jirou," he said to Avaa.

"Avaa," she replied.

"Avaa, I was wondering if you would like to dance. With me," Avaa smiled at his nerves.

"I'd love to." Jirou smiled and lead her to the dance floor.

When they reached the dance floor they began imitating Aang's Ba Sing se dance.

"So how do you know Kuzon?" Jirou asked her.

"I'm his cousin," Avaa answered without missing a beat. Jirou smiled and nodded. As they danced Jirou noticed something behind Avaa and stopped. Avaa also stopped and followed his gesture to Aang and Katara, who were involved in a very elabroate dance. They went cartwheeling through the air, crouching and kicking over one another's heads. Everyone watched them, comlpetely hypnotized. Their dance ended with alot of clapping and cheering.

Avaa smiled widely as Jirou dipped her, brought her back to her feet and twirled her all in the same motion. His eyes fell toward the enterance to the cave.

"Oh no," he said. Avaa turned around.

"What is it?" Jirou pointed to an old man and a few guards entering the cave.

"It's the headmaster."

The headmaster spotted Aang, the only one still dancing, and cried,

"He's the one we want. The boy with the headband!" Aang dashed into the crowd, headed for the tunnel. A guard grabbed the green-eyed boy because he had tied his belt around his head.

"Go ahead," Jirou told Avaa, "We'll distract them." He tied his belt around his head also. Avaa smiled and bowed before sprinting through the tunnel with the others.

Safely on Appa, the gaang watched the cave disappear into the distance.

"We're safe, Sokka," Katara said," You can take off the moustache now."

"Oh no, I can't," Sokka replied smugly," It's permanently glued to my skin." He stroked it, very pleased with himself.

"Don't worry Sokka. I'll make something that'll make it slip right off," Avaa told him, smiling. He frowned at her, his plan foiled.

"Way to go Dancypants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free," Toph said.

"I don't know. It was just a dance party," Aang said.

"Well, that was some dance party, Aang," Katara told him. She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. He blushed deep red. Sokka rocked lazily back and forth and clapped his hands.

"Flamey-o, sir. Flame-y-o." Avaa smiled and leaned over Appa's saddle and looked at the ground below them. Her mind no longer preoccupied, wondered what Zuko was doing.

Zuko walked though the large industrial yard. The smoke stacks all around him clouded the starry sky. He tried his best not to wrinkle his nose at the chemical fumes. Zuko stopped in the middle and lowered his hood.

Tell-tale clanking foot-steps told the prince that the man he was looking for was approaching. The man twice Zuko's height had a metal arm and leg. In the middle of his forehead was an eye on it's side.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" Zuko asked," I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets," the man was silent, "The Avatar's alive. I want you to find him and end him."

--

**Just so you guys know, I'm taking a break for the rest of the week. I'll still be working onthe next chapter but much slower. It should be done by the end of the week if not sooner. **

**Well, goodnight. **

**Review please. **


	20. Changes in the Wind

**I'm so sorry this took so long, but I can explain. **

**As it turns out, the new episodes were very distracting. By the time I started on the chapter for the Painted Lady episode, I was already late. As I got to the end I realized that it sucked so I skipped an episode and wrote that. Unfortunatly it was also a difficult chapter to write. **

**I can't promise that it won't happen again because it probably will. . But I know that soem chapters will take a long time to finish and I'll warn you. But I will promise that I will finish this story come hell or high water.**

**Enjoy! (Disclaimers.)**

--

Changes in the Wind

Avaa stared at the sky, completely entranced by the meteor shower. The gaang lay on top of the roof of their make shift bison shelter. Avaa smiled in pure awe at the flashes of light streaking across the sky.

"Wow," Katara said, "this is amazing to watch."

"Kind of makes you realize how insignificant we are," Sokka replied. Avaa sent him a strange look. _It makes __**me**__ realize how beautiful the world really is. _she thought.

"Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it a thousand times," Toph said dismissivly.

"I really wish you _could_ see this,' Avaa told her.

A blue light filled the sky. A gaint meteor flew across the sky, covered in blue flames. Avaa's mouth hung slightly open.

"Oh, man. You've never _not_ seen anything like this," Sokka told her. Everyone sat up and watched as the meteor crashed in the distance, creating a large blue explosion. When Avaa, Sokka, Katara, and Aang uncovered their eyes thwy saw smoke rising from a orange glow.

Everyone quickly mounted Appa and flew toward the crash site. Below them was a enormous fire-filled crater. _Oh-no._ Avaa thought.

"The fire is gonna destroy that town," Katara said.

"Not if we can stop it," Aang said as Appa landed a distance from the fire. Avaa dismounted along with Aang, Sokka, and Toph while Katara slid onto Appa's neck and took the reins.

"There's a creek over here," she told them, " I'll bend water onto the fire." She whipped the reins and took back to the skies.

"Toph, let's make a trench to keep the fire from coming any closer," Aang said.

"Waht should Avaa and I do?" Sokka asked. Aang paused, unsure. Momo flew by with a chirp.

"Keep an eye on Momo," Aang told them. Avaa and Sokka frowned. Momo landed on Sokka's head.

"So what, I'm just a lemur-sitter?" Sokka asked, annoyed. He reached up and patted Momo's head, "There, there. Feel better?"

Avaa watched the benders put out the fire with Sokka. Aang and Toph made a small crack in the earth by raising their hands then flinging them to the sides. Then they made the crack into a trench, pushing the falmes back. As they did that embers flew toward Avaa, Sokka, and Momo. Sokka frantically stomped one out with his club while Avaa and Momo stomped out the rest. Sokka turned around to put out more flames but when he saw none, he gave Avaa and Momo a sour look.

Then, Katara flew back on Appa, spraying water onto the flames and putting most of them out. Soon after that a large stone slab rolled by. Avaa crossed her arms, green with envy at their bending. She looked at Sokka and noticed he wore a similar expression.

"Sokka, Avaa," Aang said as he took a orb of water from Katara,"Stand clear."

"Right stand clear," Sokka said glumly.

"Got it," Avaa said. They stood up and walked away from the fire. As they put distance between them and the inferno Momo flew away for no apparent reason until Sokka and Avaa were stuck by a torrent of water.

Avaa tumbled into the water for a few seconds, the nit suddenly turned into snow. She knotted her brow in confusion and stuck her head out of the snow drift. Beside her, Sokka did the same. Aang, dusted off his hands as Katara and Toph approached him.

"Good work everybody," he said. Avaa dusted the snow from the top of her head with a lopsided smile on her face.

Iroh opened his eyes to the all too familar sight of his cell. He looked up at the tiny window on the ceiling. The blue sky looked crisp and new. Iroh guessed it was about mid-morning. Warden Poon would come any minute with breakfast.

Iroh sat up and leaned against the cell wall. He opened his mouth slightly and let his eyes glaze over. Temporaily, his mind was a blank as his stare.

Sure enough Poon entered the cell not five minutes later and kicked a bowl of mush into his cell. AS soon as Iroh heard the clatter of the wooden bowl on the floor he turned around and started shoveling the mush into his mouth. As he ate with desperate gasps he could feel Warden Poon glaring at him.

"Look at you. You're just a fat, disgusting old man," Poon told him, "You do nothing. You say nothing. You just eat and roll around in your own filth like a pig. You're a disgrace." The warden spat on the floor before turning around and exiting the cell. Iroh smiled and flicked stray strands of his hair back as soon as the door closed. He picked up the bowl, sat up cross-legged, and continues eating.

Avaa sat at a table with the others in an outdoor resterant. They had entered the town they had rescued last night and Aang discovered it was called Shu Jing. Avaa had discovered that it was one of the most beautiful towns they had visited yet.

The cliffs and waterfralls were spectacular, but Avaa's favorite part about Shu Jing was that everything looked sharp, clean, and well defined. She couldn't explain why she found it so beautiful.

"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night," Aang said. Toph nodded as she ate a dumpling.

"Yeah," she agreed, "The worst thing about being in disguise is we don't get the hero worship anymore. I miss the love." Avaa shrugged. She had done plenty of good deeds that had one unnoticed. And it wasn't like she actually _helped_ last night either.

"Boo-hoo, poor heroes," Sokka said bitterly. Avaa looked at him. He sat on the ledge with his smoked sea slug behind him, untouched.

"What's wrong, Sokka?" Avaa asked him.

"You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug," Katara said.

"It's just...all of you guys can do this awesome bending stuff. Like putting out forest fires, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around. I can't fly around, okay," he said, "I can't do anything." Avaa frowned.

"That's not true," Katara told him, "No one can read a map like you."

"I can't read at all," Toph said.

"Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time?" Aang said. He picked up part of Katara's hair,"I mean look at Katara's hair, right? what's up with that?" Katara pulled her hair from Aang's hands and tried to cover it up.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?" she asked frantically. Avaa rolled her eyes.

"Nothing. I was just trying to..." Aang started to say.

"Look, I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is _so_ amazing and _so _special, and I'm not," Sokka said, "I'm just the guy in the group that's regular."

"Sokka, there's nothing special about me," Avaa told him, "I'm just kinda here. If anyone's regular, it's me."

"But you're half Fire Nation, you can go into the Spirit World, and you've managed to do the impossible," Sokka told her.

"Like what?"

"Like falling in love with Zuko," Avaa looked down sadly. _Don't remind me. _she told him mentally.

Katara moved from the table and sat at the ledge with her brother.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know none of us see you that way," she told him. Sokka was silent. Katara smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "I know something tha's gonna make you feel better." Sokka looked at her.

"You do?"

When they stopped in the doorway of a weapons shop Sokka smiled brightly.

"Shopping!" he said, clapping his hands. He ran foreward and insepected the various weapons on tall racks. Avaa and Toph followed him down the isle.

"Maybe a little something to reinvigorate my battling," he picked up nunchucks, "hey, how are these? Ho-ya! Smack-a-dacka-doo!" Sokka said as he began twirling them. Avaa watched, rather impressed until he hit himself in the head. He fell over taking a few poles with him. Avaa and Toph flinched.

As amusing as it was to watch Sokka injure himself Avaa made her way to collection of swords. She really needed another sword since she had left the last one in the apartment in Ba Sing Se.

The first weapon to catch her eye, or rather _weapons_, were twin broad swords. The crack in Avaa's heart deepened and she quickly turned to another rack.

All of the swords she saw were either incredably elabrote and expensive or just practical. Avaa sighed as she turned away from another extensivly ornate sword, but brightened when she spotted a beautiful, but much humbler weapon.

She exaimed the long sword carefully. The scabbard was plain except for a raised golden metal designs on the bottom and middle. Set in the top of the handle was a peice of colored glass mimicking an emerald. Avaa looked at the small metal disk that dangled from the scabbard and smiled at the character surrounded by detailed etching. Jewel.

Avaa unshethed the blade and inspected it. It was vitually flawless. Avaa could see her won reflection in the metal. This was the one.

When Avaa rejoined the group Sokka was eyeing the most beautiful long sword in the shop. A mighty dragon was dipicted on the scabbard.

"That's what Sokka's talking about, " Sokka said feeling the scabbard.

"You have a good eye," the shop keeper told him, "That's an original from Piandao, the greatest sword maker and sword maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here." The shop keeper walked away.

"That's it," Aang said, "That's what you need all along, Sokka." Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"A sword?"

"Not the sword...a master,"he told him. Sokka pulled the sword off the rack, "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."

"That's a great idea," Katara agreed,"I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher."

"I learned from the badger moles. They don't talk but they're still good teachers."

"Go for it, Sokka. You got nothing to lose," Avaa told him. He unshethed the sword and exaimined the blade.

"It would be nice to be a master sword fighter," he paused, "All right, I'll talk to him." Avaa smiled, very happy for Sokka.

Iroh let himself rest for a moment, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. Although he wasn't sure if your thoughts were really wandering if they came back to the same thing. _Avaa's dead. _

He refused to believe it. He had thought of every possible senario that she could still be alive. But as improbable as each one seemed part of him was still convinced she was alive. But probably heartbroken. The whole world must know about Ba Sing Se and who conquered it.

Iroh was about to begin another set of sit-ups when the door to his cell opened. He expected to hear Poon, but instead he heard a much gentler female voice that he nearly mistook for Avaa's.

"General Iroh, lunchtime," Ming said. Iroh sat up and looked at her. She carried a tray of food.

"I thought you some jasmine tea." Iroh smiled.

"Thank you, Ming," he said. He remembered the day he met Avaa. _It's my favorite._ she said. As Ming started to leave Iroh got an idea.

"Ming wait a moment," she turned around, "After the seige of Ba Sing Se was there a sixteen-year-old girl among the casualties?"

"There weren't my casualties during the seige. Princess Azula conquered it so swiftly no one was killed except teh Avatar," Ming answered. Iroh forced himself not to grin.

"I see," he said calmly, "Thank you again for the tea." Ming nodded and exited the cell. Iroh let the grin spread across his face. He was right after all. Avaa was okay. But what was puzzling now was, why did Zuko believe she was dead?

Avaa lay in a circle with Aang, Toph, and Katara back at the campsite. Avaa frowned at the heat. She couldn't stand it, that and the humidity.

"What should we do today?' Aang asked them.

"I'm tapped out. I already picked my toes," Toph said, " twice."

"Twice?" Aang asked.

"The first time was for cleaning, but the second time's just for the _sweet_ picking sensation."

"Sokka's been incharge of the schedule," Katara said, "I'm not sure what we should be doing."

"Plus it's so hot today," Avaa said.

"How hot is it?"

"I don't know," Toph replied,"Real hot?"

"It's so hot, it's so hot...Momo is shedding like Appa," Katara said. Avaa raised an eyebrow. No one laughed.

"I guess the jokes don't run in the family," Aang said.

"I thought you were just making an observation," Avaa told her.

"Oh, everyone's a critic," Katara said.

Avaa put her hands behind her head watched the clouds. She saw one that resembled a butterfly, and another looked like a penguin. Her cloud watching was interupted by a bird flying into view. Avaa got a good look at it as it soared downward. It looked like any othre bird, except for a patch on it's left eye. Avaa closed her eyes. _I miss you. _

Iroh supported his weight on his knuckles doing push-ups. On each 'up' he clapped his hands together. He let out a long breath. Two more sets after this. He felt very motivated now that he knew Avaa was alive.

Unfortunately, his concentration was broken by Warden Poon approaching his cell. No doubt he was going to inspect the source of the clapping. Iroh leaned against the wall and clapped his hands lazily with an expression of delirium on his face.

"What's going on in there/" Poon asked. He was silent for a moment as he watched Iroh supposedly losing his grip,"Crazy old man." He muttered as he returned to his post.

Iroh continued clapping until he was sure the warden was gone. He smiled and pushed back the stray hair in his face.

In their desperation for something to do Katara, Aang, and Avaa gathered around the map.

"So where are we going next?" Katara asked. She pointed to an island, "We're starting from here." Aang frowned at the spot she pointed to and shook his head.

"No, we're over on this island." he pointed to another island on the map. Avaa shook her head this time.

"Nuh-uh we're right here," she pointed. Katara furrowed her brow.

"That's where we clean the polluted river," she told Avaa.

"Is it?" Avaa asked, looking at the island closer.

"You noodle-brains don't know what you're doing," Toph said, who was laying down,"I miss Sokka." Katara's eyes lit up.

"Ooh, I got one. If you miss him so much, why don't you marry him?" Katara grinned, waiting for a response. The only response she got was Toph rolling over on her side, Aang blowing away an insect, and Avaa slapping her forehead.

Soon they were all aslepp because the heat only encouraged curling up and going to sleep. Katara lay on top of the map, Aang was holding his knees, Toph was laying on her back, and Avaa leaned against the bison shelter.

Suddenly, Toph's head jerked up.

"Sokka's coming!" she said. Aang, Katara, and Avaa woke up with a start. They all ran up the hill to greet Sokka.

"Hey, guys," he said, "What are you doing?" No one answered but pulled himinto a group hug.

"Sokka!" Aang excalimed.

"You're back," Toph and Avaa said together.

"We missed you so much," Katara told him. They let go of him. Sokka blinked, obivously surprised by the attention.

"Say something funny," Aang told him.

"Funny how?" Sokka asked. Aang and Katara laughed heartily. Sokka turned to Toph and Avaa.

"What's their deal?" Avaa shrugged.

"I don't know. They missed you or something. I didn't care," Toph told him. Avaa rasied a knowing eyebrow at Toph as she turned away and blushed.

"Thanks. That warms my heart," he told her, "Anyway, I need some help." Avaa gave him a questioning look. Sokka had that look inhis eye that said he had a good idea.

Without elabroating Sokka lead them to teh meteorite that crashed the other night. They looked down at the space rock from the top of the crater. Avaa looked at Sokka quizzically again.

"What are we going to do?" she asked him.

"We're going to take this up to Piandao's castle," Sokka replied. Avaa looked at him in shock.

"How are we going to get it up there? It probably weighs a ton." Toph chuckled.

"You're underestimating me," she said smiling.

With the help of Toph's earthbending, the five of them pushed the meteorite through Shu Jing and up the hill to Piandao's castle. Even though Avaa was busy keeping the meteorite from rolling back down the hill, she noticed the design on the door was similar to a white lotus tile. Sokka ran up to the door and knocked frantically. Almost immediantly a dark-skinned man answered it and stepped out. Avaa asumed he was Piandao.

"Who's this?" he asked, making a small gesture to Aang, Katara, Toph, and Avaa.

"Oh, those are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks," Sokka answered, "Do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite?" Piandao placed a hand on the space rock and exaimined it.

"We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world."

Avaa sat on the bed Piandao had lent her. Sokka would have to work on his sword until the early hours of morning, so Piandao had lent them all rooms in the castle for the night.

Avaa ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't get to slepp, or she didn't want to. Her nightmares about Zuko had grown steadily worse. The spirits seemed to hate her now. She sighed and left the room.

As Avaa walked down the hall she saw more white lotus designs. She stopped infront of one espeacially ornate one. Her expression grew thoughtful as she exaimined the flower etched into gold. _Why would someone have so many white lotuses around? This is beyond liking a flower. There must be something to it. _Avaa pondered that thought for a moment while studying the moonlit gold.

Out of the blue Avaa remembered the old Pai Sho player in Misty Palms Oasis. The Order of the White Lotus. Could that be it? Was Piandao in the Order of the White Lotus?

"Ah-ham," a voice said. Avaa jumped and spun toward Piandao who was standing a distance up the corridor.

"Master Piandao," she said," I'm sorry. I was just...looking for the bathroom." He pointed up the hallway.

"The bathroom's that way," he told her.

"Oh, yeah," she said. Avaa started to walk back the way she came, but stopped to take one last look at the lotus on the wall.

"I see you've noticed my collection of lotuses," Piandao said. He walked past her to face the one she had been looking at.

"Why do you have so many?" Avaa asked him. Piandao turned back to her with a knowing smile on his dark face.

"Why ask what you already know?" Avaa gave him a puzzled look. What did he mean? Was she right? Was he a member of the Order? Piandao continued to smile and walked down the corridor.

"Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight," Avaa answered quietly. She turned around adn made her way back to her room.

That morning Avaa sat with the others in the main building. She, Katara, Aang, and Toph sat behind Sokka who kneeled at Master Piandao's feet.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtlr adn twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me," Piandao said. He turned to a servant who handed him Sokka's sword, "No, it certainly wasn't your skills. You showed something beyond that," Piandao unshethed the sword revealing the black blade, "Creativity, versatility. intellegence...these are the traits that define a great swordsmen. And these are the traits that define you." He reshethed sword adn handed it to Sokka, "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

Avaa smiled widely, but her grin faded as Sokka spoke.

"I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong. I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe," Katara, Aang, and Toph gawked at Sokka. Avaa's expression didn't change, "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry." Sokka lowered his head and raised his sword for Piandao to take. Piandao turned away.

"I'm sorry too." he quickly turned back around and swung his sword at Sokka. Sokka srood and blocked the attack. Avaa, Katara, Aang, and Toph all stood up to help, but Sokka raised a hadn to stop them.

"No, this is my fight," Sokka told them,"alone."

Iroh watched asd Warden Poon walked foreward carrying a tray of food. As always, Poon scowled at him.

"You used to be the pride of the Fire Nation. Our top general. The Dragon of the West. Now look at you," he dropped the tray. Iroh reached for the bright green apple,"Look at what you have become." Iroh watched as Poon left the cell. _Look at what I've become?_ He held the apple in his teeth and untied his belt, letting the padded sheet fall to the floor, revealing his newly buff physique.

Iroh took a bite out of the apple, jumped up, grabbed a bar and began doing one arm pull ups. _I think I like what I've become, thank you._ he thought smugly.

Avaa, Katara, Aang and Toph look down at Sokka and Piandao on opposite sides of the sword fighting ring. Both were in battle stances. Piandao lunged at Sokka , striking four times. Sokka blocked the attacks and stabbed at Piandao, who dodged the black blade and returned the attack. Sokka leaned away from the sword. Piandao swung his sword at Sokka's feet, but he jumped over the blade and lunged at Piandao. He delfected the attack and hit Sokka with the butt of his hilt.

Avaa grimaced as Sokka flew backwards several feet. He flipped himself backwards and grabbed the post of a small bridge to steady himself. Sokka quickly climbed up the post and jumped to the next one just as Piandao thrust his sword at him.

Piandao spun around and tried to slice Sokka's foot but he jumped to the other railing. Paindao stabbed at him again, but Sokka rolled off the rail and to the side. The old sword master swung at him again. Sokka rolled under the blade. He blocked Piandao's next strikes as he gained distance and hopped back on the rail. As Sokka leapt off the bridge Piandao swung at him again.

"Excellent!" he said, "Using your superior agility against an older opponent..._smart._" Avaa narrowed her eyes suspiously. Maybe this wasn't as dangerous of a battle as they thought.

Piandao charged at Sokka again, striking at him and pushing him up the stairwell. Sokka blocked all of the attacks but the force of them pushed him agaist the wall of the stairway. He deflected a blow from Piandao upward, then ducked as the blade sliced through the wall above his shoulder, leaving sparks in it's wake.

Piandao swung his sword around his head and body in two large circles. Avaa flinched as Sokka cartwheeled to the right. He spun back around, hopped on one foot and pushed off the wall with his legs. Sokka flew toward his master with his sword extended. Piandao blocked the attack and Sokka rolled across the stairs to the other wall and climbed tothe top.

"Good use of terrain...fighting from the high ground," Piandao said.

Sokka swung at Piandao below him, who parried and returned the attack. Sokka pinned Piandao's blade under his own, weighted under his feeet. Piandao tried to wrench his sword free but couldn't, so he leaned foreward and pushed his sword up. Sokka grunted as he stumbled back into a tall stalk of bamboo. Avaa, Katara, Aang, and Toph winced.

Sokka looked up at Piandao, his hair starting to fall out of his topknot. Piandao raised his sword and cut through the bamboo stalk as Sokka ducked. They both dashed into the bamboo thicket consealing them from the others' sight.

A few moments later Sokka burst back into the ring screaming in terror. Piandao dashed off to the side as Sokka looked behind him. By the time he looked foreward Piandao was infront of him with his sword sticking out, ready to impale the teenager. Luckily, Sokka leaned back. When he came back up, he stumbled foreward. He stuck his sword into the ground to stop his fall. Using that momentum, Sokka swung his sword back around, flinging dirt into Piandao's eyes. He tried to blink the dirt away.

"Very resourceful," he said.

Paindao tilted his head to listen fro any sounds that would give away Sokka's postion. There weren't any until Sokka stepped on a lone twig as he backed away. Piandao turned his head toward Sokka, put his sword into attack postion and charged. Sokka parried the attack, but Piandao caught Sokka's blade with his own and flung the black bladed sword from his hands.

Sokka was knocked backward as Piandao made a horizontal arc and hit him in the chest with his arms. Piandao pointed his sword at Sokka's head.

"Time to intervene?" Avaa asked the others. Without a response they jumped over the railing and landed in the ring, "Apparently," Avaa muttered as she followed them with her sword unshethed. She, Aang, Toph, and Katara stopped as Piandao swung his sword infront of them as a barricade.

"Excellent work, Sokka," he said. He made a signal to his servant still on the balacony. His servant flung the scabbard to Piandao's sword towards him. Piandao lifted the blade and let it slide on neatly.

"I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar," he said. Avaa smiled and shethed her sword. Aang, Katara, and Toph dropped their stances and looked at Piandao, puzzled.

"How did you know?" Aang asked him.

Piandao's servant approached him with a snow white towel and drink.

"Oh, I've been around awhile. You pick things up," Piandao replied as he wiped the dirt from his eyes," Of course I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe. You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try 'Lee'. There's a million 'Lees'." Avaa flinched. _Yeah, a million. In the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom._

"But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?" Katara asked.

"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowlage of the arts belongs to us all," Piandao handed his sword to his servant and gave Sokka back his sword," Sokka, you must continue training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know one day you will become an even greater master than I am." Avaa and the others smiled warmly as Sokka and Piandao exchanged bows.

As they walked out the front gate teh servant stopped them.

"The Master wanted you to have this, as something to remember him by." he told them, before handing Sokka a small brown bag. They all bowed as a farewell and the servant walked back to the castle. Sokka opened the bag and pulled out a white lotus Pai Sho tile.

"It's a Pai Sho tile," he said.

"The white lotus. Hm." Aang said.

"What does it mean?" Katara asked. Avaa smiled knowingly.

"I have no idea," Sokka replied. He and Aang looked back as the doors to the gate shut, "Ooh, that reminds me. Toph, I thought you might like this since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before." Sokka pulled out a chunk of the meteorite and handed it to Toph.

"Sweet," she said, smiling, "Check this out." Toph shaped the rock into a swirl, then a star, then a splatter.

"You know," Katara said as they began to walk down the hill, "I don't think there's such a thing as 'space earth'. If it's from space, then it's not really earth."

"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka asked.

"I can't believe I missed you," Katara replied.

**--**

**The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise. Again sorry it took so long. **

**Review please. **

**(Edit) The next chapter might take awhile. --''' I just printed out the episode transcript and it's pretty long. **


	21. The Truths Come Out

**Sorry it took so long again,but I'd like to see you guys write a ten page chapter and get ready for high school then we'll see how long it takes you. **

**Anyway this is mostly filler (.) and I almost scrapped it, but one very important plot point saved it. What is it? If I told you that would take away all the fun. **

**The next chapter is shorter (YAY!) and has a little more plot. Once I get to a certain point the chapters will be filled with nothing but plot. But until then, there's a few more filler chapters. **

**(Disclaimers)**

--

The Truths Come Out

Zuko sat under the blood red canopy to busy sulking to notice how beautiful the day was. The sea was calm except for the wake the boat and sea lion left behind. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and Zuko had his girlfriend right beside him.

Out toward the railing were Azula and Tylee. Azula leaned against the railing with her arms crossed and Tylee wore her characteristic wide smile.

"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island," she said,"It's gonna be great to hand out on the beach and do nothing." Tylee put herhands behind her head.

"Doing nothing is a waste of time," Zuko said bitterly,"We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child." He walked to the rail and and stared at the water. It was like he was banished all over again.

"Lighten up. So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone...without anyone else around. Don't take it personally," Azula told him. Zuko turned his head further from his sister.

"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Tylee asked.

"We used to come every summer when we were kids." Azula answered.

"That must've been fun!" Zuko scowled at the hollowed out pain in his chest.

"That was a long time ago," he said.

"Hey, look!" Tylee said happily, "We're here!"

Zuko looked back up and sure enough, there was the red-roofed bungalows that dotted Ember Island's shorelines. As they pulled in to the dock he saw Azula's mentors. The elderly twins Li and Lo. They smiled when the boat reached the dock.

"Welcome to Ember Island, kids," they said together. Zuko looked past them at the small shabby cottage behind them. He frowned along with the others.

Their frowns only deepened when they entered the house. It was not only filled with junk but with brighttacky patterns and a surpriseing amount of pink. Zuko wrinkled his nose against a musky smell.

"It smells like old lady in here," he said. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Gee, I wonder why," she said sarcastically.

"Who are these two beautiful women?" Tylee asked. Azula, Zuko, and Mai all approached her to look at a painting that showed two young twins in a seductive pose. Zuko felt his neck and face heat up a little as he viewed the peice.

Li and Lo stood on either side of the painting, smiling.

"Can't you tell?" they asked as they struck the seductive pose, "It's Li, Lo and me." Zuko put a hand to his mouth when he felt bile rising in his throat. _Oh Agni!_ he thought. How could he have been attracted to _them?!_

The more the teenagers exaimined the house the more they disliked it. Everyone, of course, but Tylee. Although that wasn't very surprised. She spotted one of the beds and lay down on it.

"Ooh, I love this seashell bedspread," she said as she snuggled a pillow. Mai walked over to her and gave the marroon sheets a skeptical look.

"Are you serious? It looks like the beach threw up all over it." Zuko glanced at the blanket and shrugged. He'd seen worse. Li and Lo gave them a look.

"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend. But Ember Island is a magical place," one of them said. Zuko thought it was Lo,"Keep an open mind."

"Give it a chance...," Li continued.

"...and it can help you understand yourselves and each other," the sisters said together. Lo picked up one of the smooth even the most ragged edges." they said alternating who spoke. Zuko looked down, letting in sink in. Beside him, Azula yawned.

Li and Lo smiled, made a few edusicastic movements, and stripped off their robes revealing their bathing suits.

"Time to hit the beach!" they said. Zuko stared absolutly paralized. Wordlessly, Mai covered his eyes with her hand. Li and Lo chuckled and walked out the door to the beach. Tylee, being the most edusicastic of the four of them, already had her bathing suit on underneath her clothes. She slipped them off with a smile on her face and followed the twins out the door.

The others turned to their trunks which had been sent here eariler. Zuko opened his and began to search for his bathing suit. As he pulled out his shirt something fell out of it and clattered to the floor. Zuko looked down and discovered it was Avaa's pendant. He reached down to pick it up but Mai beat him to it.

"Hm. I don't remember your mom having this," she said as she exaimined it.

"She didn't." Zuko told her.

"Where'd you get this then?"

"It was Avaa's," he said. Mai's pale gold eyes hardened as she frowned even more deeply than usual.

"That Earth Kingdom girl from Ba Sing Se?" she asked. Zuko nodded hestiantly. The pendant seemed trigger alot anger from Mai.

"Why do you still have this?"

"She gave it to me as a gift. It was one of the last things she did with me before died," Zuko told her. Mai scowled.

"You're _my_ boyfriend now, you don't need this peice of junk," she said as she waved the pendant in his face. Now it was Zuko's turn to scowl.

"It's not a peice of junk! It's a keepsake. And Avaa wasn't just my girlfriend she was my friend," he told her in a raised voice," Yes, she is dead. That's why you shouldn't feel threatened by this." Mai glared at him, then rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she said before she let go of the pendant and let it clatter to the floor. Mai picked up her bathing suit and when into the other room to change. As soon as she left the room Zuko bent down and picked up Avaa's pendant. He picked up his trunks and put the pendant in his clothes trunk.

Avaa stood a few feet away from Sokka with her sword at the ready. Sokka's space sword was also in battle postion.

"Ready?" he asked. Avaa smirked.

"When you are," she replied before charging. She swung her sword at Sokka's chest, but he blocked her blade. As soon as he pushed her sword away Avaa swung again. Sokka deflected that blow also and returned the strike. Avaa blocked the attack and tried to twist Sokka's sword away but failed.

Sokka thrusted at her making her step backward but she blocked the strike. Sokka struck a few more times, all of them blocked by Avaa. He extended his arm and sword for a particularly long thrust. Avaa stepped backwards to get out of the way, but her foot only met air. Avaa lost her balance and fell into the lake. When she sat back up Sokka was pointing his sword at her head. Avaa looked up at him.

"I win," he said. Avaa smirked as she picked herself up.

"Yeah, but we'll have plently more training sessions which gives me more than enough chances to kick your butt," she told him. Sokka smirked back, unfazed.

"You say that but you know it's not going to happen." Avaa scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I think Avaa has the right idea though," Aang said. Avaa turned to him confused. He grinned and took off his clothes except for some trunks,"Swimming!"

Avaa smiled as Aang ran to the water and jump in. Katara shrugged and stripped down to her underwear. Avaa stepped out of the water and took off her clothes too. After she lay her wet clothes on a sun baked rock she joined the others in the water.

Their campsite was in a giant crater. The lake must have been made of collected rainwater. It certainly felt crisp and cool like rain. Avaa surfaced facing Toph, the only one of the group not in the water.

"Aang, I know swimming is fun and all," she said,"but do really think you should be exposing yourself like that? Cover up!" Aang, who was floating on his back with Momo on his chest, sent her a confused look.

"What? I'm wearing trunks."

"I know it's your tatoos I'm worried about. What if someone sees you?" Toph told him.

"There are walls all around us," Katara told her,"We're completely safe." Avaa turned away and done back under the water. She smiled as she swam foreward, feeling the water roll around her.

The four bathing suit clad teenagers walked down the crowded beach. Azula and Tylee lead the way and Zuko held an umbrella over his and Mai's head. Zuko stole a glance at his girlfriend. She didn't look very happy, although that wasn't excatly a rare occurance. But this time Mai seemed more displeased than usual.

Azula spotted the perfect spot for them, but there were two young boys building a sand castle in it. In a very Azula fashion, the princess lifted her foot and brought it down on the castle. The boys looked up at Azula before running off in fear. Azula smiled and kicked their bucket after them. Zuko felt their pain. Theirs wasn't the first sand castle she had destroyed.

Zuko turned away from Azula and walked to a patch of snad a small distance away.

"Hold this a mintue," Zuko told Mai, refering to the umbrella.

"Sure," she said in a slightly annoyed tone. Zuko unrolled his towel and lay in on the ground, making sure it was nice and straight. He took the umbrella back from Mai and postioned it next to the towel so it would be shaded. Without a word Mai sat down on the towel. Zuko joined her and together they sat in an uncomfortable silence.

Zuko drummed his fingers on his knee, trying to think of something to say. Mai was still mad at him and he had no idea what to say. In a desperate attempt to find inspiration he looked down at the sand beside him. Zuko smiled when he saw a cream colored seashell. If that wouldn't make ammends with Mai nothing would.

"Here," he said as her picked up the shell and presented it to Mai,"This is for you." Mai gave it a look

"Why would I want that?" she asked. Zuko's smile disappeared.

"I saw it and thought it was pretty," he told her, "Don't girls like stuff like this?" Mai crossed her arms and turned away from Zuko.

"Maybe stupid girls." Zuko scowled.

"Forget it!" He threw the shell back in the sand, feeling insulted. That was the second gift Mai had refused and in refusing it she had insulted two women who had been very close to Zuko.

Once again Zuko sat with Mai in an uncomfortable silence. Zuko's attention was drawn to a cart a little further down the beach by some kids running towards it. A few others walked away, happily licking away at their ice cream cones. Zuko's eyes brightened. That might work.

"I'll be right back," he told Mai. She made no response but watched as he stood up and walked to the cart.

Zuko came back with two leechee ice cream cones. He sat back down beside Mai.

"I thought since it's so hot..." he said. Zuko held out a cone for Mai to take,"Here." Mai just looked at it as the ice cream fell off the cone and into her lap.

"Thanks," she said, "This is really refreashing." She picked up the ice cream and tossed it into the sand. Zuko scowled and also threw his away.

"Zuko!" Azula said, suddenly. He looked up and saw her and Tylee standing beside a Kuai ball court. Zuko stood up and threw shirt and made his way to the court.

Once Mai joined them she and the others formed a huddle.

"See that girl with the silly pigtails?" Azula said gesturing across the net. They all looked at the pigtailed captian of the other team,"When she runs towards the ball there's just the slightest hesitation of her left foot. I'm willing to bet a childhood injury has weakened her. Keep serving the ball to her left and we'll destroyher and the rest of her team. Dismissed!" They broke the huddle. Tylee and Mai ran to the back while Zuko and Azula stepped apart a few paces.

Zuko watched as Azula served the ball to the other team. The ball landed on the left side, completely missed by the opposing team. The pigtailed girl recovered from the miss and served the ball to them. Zuko ran foreward and kicked the ball high into the air. Azula approached it with a spin and smacked it toward the pigtailed girl. The girl dived for the ball but missed it. The ball landed by two boys lounging on the beach.

They looked at the ball, then at the muscluar boy the other team sent to retrive it. The boy tossed the ball to the pigtailed girl who served it back toward Zuko, Mai, Tylee, and Azula. Tylee jumped for it and kicked it back, landing on the net like a tightrope walker.

Again the team served to the four teenagers. Mai ran to the ball this time and sent it back with her knee. Zuko bent over a little as the ball came flying toward him. He felt Azula run up his back, jump, and kick the ball to the other side with all her might. Zuko sheilded himself from the explosion his sister had caused.

Azula stood at the net, now being eaten away by the flames. She faced the other team.

"Yes, we defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" she said. The pigtailed girl and her team looked horrified. Zuko was unfazed. Azula _always_ got this competitive. He was just grateful he had been her team.

"Well, that was fun," Azula told him, Tylee, and Mai.

The two boys from earlier walked up to Tylee.

"I'm having a party tonight," one of them told her,"You should come by."

"Sure," Tylee said happily,"I love parties." The other boy with hair covering part of his face gestured to Mai.

"Your friend can come too."

"What about me and my brother?" Azula asked them. She crossed her arms,"Aren't you going to invite us?" The boys gave each other a skeptical look,"You don't know who we are do you?"

"Don't you know who we are?" the first boy said,"We're Chan and Ruon Jin."

"Yeah," the boy who Zuko assumed was Ruon Jin said. Zuko scowled at them. _They think they're so special!_ He took a step foreward with his fists clentched. Azula put out her arm to stop him.

"Fine, you're invited," Chan said,"Just so you know though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party so...try and act normal." Zuko clentched his fists harder. He was such a conceited jerk.

"We'll do our best," Azula said in her evil, silkly tone.

Zuko sat at the table with all of his female compainions, eating dinner. They ate on the balacony since it was such a nice evening. Zuko had been worried that Mai was still mad at him until she leaned her shoulder against his.

Smiling inwardly, Zuko turned to Azula who sat across from him.

"Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?" he asked.

"I guess I was intrigued," Azula replied,"I'm so used to people worshipping us."

"They should," Tylee told her. Azula smiled.

"I know and I love it! But for once I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were."

Li and Lo looked at the table solmnly.

"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate," they said. Zuko glanced at Mai who looked questioningly back. It looked like she was willing to forgive and forget.

"Ember Island reveals the true you." Li and Lo continued. They suddenly smiled and clapped,"To the party!"

It didn't take Zuko very long to change. He was in his party clothes and sitting on the couch in less than five mintues. Of course the girls, being girls, were taking awhile. Mai was the first to finish getting ready. She walked into the room in a dress that consisted mostly of draped cloth. Zuko smiled at her.

"You look beautiful," he told her. Mai smirked and joined him on the couch. Almost immediantly after Azula poked her head through the doorway, hair down.

"Mai, could you help me?" she asked. Mai rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Fine," she said in a very annoyed tone. Azula's head disappeared into the hallway along with Mai.

A mintue or two later Tylee entered the room with a bounce. She looked very proud of herself.

"Whaddya think?" she asked Zuko. Zuko looked at her, surprised and impressed that she wasn't wearing any pink. Although the ample amount of ruffles made up for that.

"Pretty g-" he stopped when he was what was hanging around Tylee's neck,"Where did you get that?" Tylee blinked, confused for a moment before lifting up Avaa's pendant.

"This?" I found it when I climbed those rocks. It looked like someone had thrown it away I thought it was pretty so I kept it." she told him. Zuko stood up.

"It's mine," he said. Tylee tilted her head, confused.

"Really?"

"Avaa gave it to me."

"Avaa..."Tylee murmured trying to think,"Oh! That pretty Earth Kingdom girl?" Zuko turned his eyes away sadly.

"Yeah," he answered. Tylee was silent for a moment.

"You still love her don't-" she started but Zuko cut her off.

"Look, I really don't want to talk about Avaa," Zuko snapped at her,"Please just give me the pendant back." Tylee looked at him with pity reflecting in her gray-brown eyes. She took off Avaa's pendant and held it out to Zuko. He snatched it from her hand and placed it into his trunk.

When they had asked Chan where his house was he told them it was 'the biggest and greatest house on the island.' Zuko didn't believe it for one second, but he gave the house a chance to impress him. It failed.

Chan's home was no bigger or greater than any other on the island. Zuko could even think of some that _were_ better. Espically one in particular.

Zuko watched as Azula tapped on the front door with the gold door knocker. After a few seconds Chan opened the door. He looked less than happy to see them.

"Um...You're a little early. No one's here yet."

"I heard you telling someone you'd be partying from dusk 'til dawn," Azula told him. She turned and gestured to the darkening skybehind them,"It's dusk so we're here." Chan looked at her with annoyance.

"But that's just an expression."

"We are the perfect party guests," Azula said,"We arrive right on time because we are very punctual." Azula brought her hand into her palm as she said 'punctual'. Chan looked at them skeptically for a moment, before shrugging and let them inside.

"Alright, listen, my dad's an admiral. He has no idea I'm having this party, so don't mess anything up," he told them.

Zuko rolled his eyes. An admiral, like that was the most important rank in the Fire Nation. As he and the others looked around the room Ruon Jin pulled himself away from his reflection long enough to greet Zuko and Mai.

"Hey," he said,"first ones here huh?"

They both kept walking without gving him a response.

"Pft. He thinks he's so great," Zuko said once they were out of earshot. He turned to Mai,"Well, what do you think of him?" Mai answered without making eye contact with her boyfriend.

"I don't have any opion about him," she said,"I hardly know him."

"You like him don't you?" Zuko said. With Mai's way of flirting he couldn't be too sure. Mai sighed and walked away from Zuko. He looked back at Ruon Jin with venom. Ruon Jin was nothing special, at the most he was a pretty face. What could Mai possibly be interested in? Zuko took a breath in an attempt to calm himself and joined Mai on a bench.

Slowly but surely the room was filled with teenagers. Soon it was bustling with probably all of the kids Zuko's age on the island. Zuko sighed. he didn't really want to be here. At this party or on the island. He had only come to the party to keep Mai from Ruon Jin's attention. Mai sighed also and crossed her arms.

"I'm bored," she said.

"I know," Zuko replied, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to say much else. Besides, that wasn't a rare occurance.

"I'm hungry," Mai continued. Zuko turned to her.

"So what?"

"So find me some food."

"Sure," Zuko said as he stood up and walked to the buffet on the other side of the room.

Zuko drummed his fingers on the tray he held in his hand as he struggled to remember Mai's favorite foods. In the end he gave up and put general foods everyone likes on the plate. As he reached for a water chesnut cake he remembered Avaa making breakfast back at the apartment. Zuko shook his head and quickly took a bag of fire flakes.

As Zuko walked back to Mai a boy knocked the tray of of his hand accidently. Zuko immedantly rounded on him, scowling.

"Hey, watch it!" he snapped at the boy," That food was for my cranky girlfriend!" When Zuko looked in her direction he saw Ruon Jin leaning beside her, smirking as he spoke. Zuko's face flushed crimson with anger as he rushed toward them and pushed Ruon Jin away.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" he asked as he striaghtened his hair back into place.

"Stop talking to my girlfriend!" Zuko said.

"Relax, it's just a party," Ruon Jin told him. His calmness only made Zuko angrier. He pushed Ruon Jin hard, sending him crashing into a vase.

Mai grabbed Zuko's shoulder, making him turn to her.

"Zuko, what is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me?!"

"Your temper's out of control. You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hot-headed and angry." Mai told him.

"Well, at least I feel something...as opposed to you. You have no passion for anything. You're just a big 'blah'." Zuko said. Mai looked at him with the smallest glint of hurt in her eyes. She quickly turned away from him and said,

"It's over, Zuko. We're done." Zuko at her back in shock. His heart gave off a twinge as he opened his mouth to apologize, but Chan interupted him.

"Who broke my Nana's vase?" Ruon Jin pointed at Zuko. Chan stormed over to him and pointed at the door.

"That's it, you're out of here," he told Zuko. It took every ounce of Zuko's self-control not to push Chan too.

"I was just leaving," he told Chan harshly. Zuko turned away and walked to the front door.

"Have fun by yourself, _loser_ boy," Ruon Jin called.

"Nice," Chan complimented. Zuko scowled, stepped through the threashold and slammed the door with a satisfying bang.

As Zuko walked down moonlit beach he cursed at himslef silently. He drug his feet through the sand with his head down. First Avaa and now Mai. _Chikushou!_ Zuko thought bitterly at his situation and at the tighting in his throat. That always happened when he thought of Avaa. Zuko ran his fingers through his hair. It killed him that he couldn't let her go, but he had loved her so much. He loved Mai too, but Avaa was different. And he was stupid enough to lose both of them.

Zuko looked up as he walked around a familar pile of rocks. Zuko frowned at the mansion bulit into the mountain face. It was in a state of disrepair but Zuko reconized it. He started to walk up the stone steps, but turned around to look at the ocean. In his mind's eye Zuko saw himslef, his father, and Azula running in a meadow happily. They had raced each other to the beach. Zuko sighed and continued up the stairs. He remembered standing on a cliff with his father, admiring the view, and building a sand castle Uncle Iroh.

Zuko pulled on the door handle to feel the resistance of a lock. He aimed a kick at the double doors, opening them in a puff of dust. Zuko stepped through the threashold and scanned the great room. Nothing had changed excpet the amount of dust.

Zuko turned to another staircase and walked up it. He turned right to face a familar painting hanging on the wall. His family portrait. Zuko looked at his father, then a younger version of himself. He remembered watching the tide come in and out with his father on the cliff side.

Then Zuko's eyes rested on his mother's face. His throat tightened when he remembered playing with her as a baby. She had smiled as she tossed infant Zuko into the air and catching him again.

The adult Zuko turned away from the painting and picked up a disc of motar with a hand print in it. His hand print. Zuko placed his hand over it to compare the sizes. The tiny baby print completely disappeared behind his.

Zuko sighed. Even though he had everything he had always wanted, his honor, his father's love, he still yearned for the old times. When his mother was still alive, when Azula couldn't talk. He even found himself wanting to go back to his time in Ba Sing Se. He should have been happy now, but he wasn't. Something was wrong with him.

Avaa was enjoying her first dream and Zuko-free sleep in weeks when Toph sat up and said,

"Guys, you're all gonna think I'm crazy, but it feels like a metal man is coming." The others sat up, also awakened. Avaa looked at Toph strangely. A metal man? She wondered if sleep had done somethign to her hearing.

Avaa looked around the cliff walls for a human figure, but saw no one. Aang, Katara, and Sokka did the same and seemed to be having the same amount of luck until Aang ran forward. As he ran Avaa saw a beam head towards him, but land on the cliff face, creating an explosion.

Avaa cried out as the explosion sent her and everyone else flying backward. She cried out again when she landed on her shoulder and rolled backward before coming to a stop. Avaa sat up and got a look at their attacker. The man on the cliff was incredably tall and had a metal arm and leg. Avaa squintedin disbelief.

Toph earthbended a group of rocks towards the man, but he blasted through them with another explosion. _Wait, did he just do that with his mind?_ Avaa thought as Aang kept the flames away from her and the others. Katara ran closer to the water and bended a massive wave between him and the metal man. Unfortunatly, the wave was turned into a cloud of steam by another firey explosion. Avaa's eyes widened. _He __**did**__ do that with his mind!_

Zuko sat on the stairs outside,run out of the house by his painful memories. He looked down at his baby hand print. Zuko was sure he had developed nostalgia in the short time he had explored the house.

Zuko saw Azula walk up the stairs and stand beside him out of the corner of his eye.

"I thought I'd find you here," she said.

"Those summers we spent up here seem so long ago," Zuko told her,"So much has changed."

"Come down to the beach with me," Azula said after a short pause. She started back down the stairs but Zuko stayed put,"Come on, this place is depressing." Zuko set his handprint down and followed Azula down the stairs and to a patch of beach where Mai and Tylee were sitting. Zuko frowned at Mai.

"Hey-" she started.

"Where's your new boyfriend?" Zuko snapped at her. Mai looked stricken for a second before turning away. Zuko's face softened when he saw her expression and stepped toward her.

"Are you cold?" he asked her softly. He tried to put his arm around her but she slapped it away.

"I'm freezing," Tylee said. Zuko smiled.

"I'll make a fire," he looked up at his old house,"There's plently of stuff to burn in there."

Avaa with the others huddled behind a rock, safe from the metal man. Another explosion rattled them to their bones. Or at least for a little while.

"This is crazy!" Sokka said,"How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his mind?"

"We can. Jump on Apaa. I'll try to distract him." Aang told them.

They did as they were told and took to the skies. Sokka flew them up very high so that all Avaa could see of the fight below were the explosions and the earthbending from Aang.

After a particularly large explosion Aang flew towards them in rock armour.

"Go down!" Avaa shouted at Sokka. He steered Appa so he was just below Aang. Katara grabbed onto his arm and pulled him into the saddle. Aang breathed heavily as Katara held him against her.

"I'm ok," he told her.

"Well, that was random," Toph said.

"I don't think so," Katara said,"I got feeling he knows who we are." Avaa nodded.

"There's no other reason he would've attacked us." Aang straightened up and Katara let go of him.

"I don't know. I just hopw we don't meet him again."

Zuko picked another floor board from the house and tossed it into the fire. He turned around and picked up his family portrait. Zuko gave his mother one last glance before throwing the painting into the fire. Tylee looked at him, completely shocked.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Zuko didn't take his eyes off the flames.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But it's a painting of your family," Tylee told him. Zuko glared at her.

"You think I care?" he snapped. He quickly looked back at the fire and watched the painting burn, arms crossed.

"I think you do," Tylee said softly. Zuko turned to her again.

"You don't me, so why don't you just mind your own business!" Zuko looked away. Why did she care? It wasn't _her_ portrait. It wasn't _her _family.

"I know you," Tylee said, almost in a whisper. Zuko scowled and looked at her.

"No you don't. You're stuck in your little Tylee world where everything's great all the time." Zuko told her angerly. Mai gave him a grim look from across the fire.

"Zuko, leave her alone," she told him. Zuko ignored her. His anger and bitterness were taking over him.

"I'm so pretty, look at me," he said mockingly,"I can walk on my hands whoo!" Zuko did a handstand and let himself fall into the sand.

"Circus freak!" he said harshly to Tylee.

Tylee looked at him, hurt. Zuko could see tears forming in her eyes. Behind her, Azula laughed.

"Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want," Tylee said, gesturing to Azula,"You wanna know why I joined the circus?" Azula rolled her eyes.

"Here we go," she said.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was lik, growing up with six sisters who look exactly like me?" she asked, standing up," It was like I didn't even have my own name." She fell onto her knees and looked at the sand as tears rolled off her face,"I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least I'm different now," Tylee looked up and gave Zuko a hard look," Circus freak is a **compliment!**"

"Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends too," Mai said.

Tylee stood up and out her hands on her hips. Zuko sat up. A girl putting her hands on her hips was never a good sign. Especially paired with...

"I'm sorry, what?" Tylee asked. Mai turned only her eyes to her.

"Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so _you're_ trying to make up for it now." Mai said smoothly. Tylee clentched her fists at her.

"Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray..." Mai was silent for a moment, looking at Tylee. For a second Zuko thought she would retailate but she looked back down and said,

"I don't believe in auras." Zuko stood up.

"Yeah, you don't believe in anything," he told her.

"Oh well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you."

"I'm sorry too," Zuko said,"I wish you _would_ be high-strung and crazy for once." Mai looked away from him, which just made Zuko step closer to her," instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?" Mai lay back on her rock and looked at the sky.

"What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was the rich only child who got anything I wanted," Mai told them,"As long I behaved...and sat still...and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about." Azula changed her postion and gestured as she spoke.

"Well, that's it, then. You had a controling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them you were shut down. That's why you're afriad to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself."

Mai sent Azula a vemonous look and stood up.

"You want me to express myself?" she asked,"**Leave me alone!**" Zuko didn't think girl were any prettier when they were angry, but Mai looked more beautiful when she had an emotion on her face.

"I like it when you express yourself," he told her as he reached for her. Mai backed away glaring at Zuko.

"Don't touch me. I'm still mad at you," she shouted at him.

"My life hasn't been that easy either, Mai-" Zuko started.

"Whatever," Mai interupted,"that doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

"Calm down you guys," Tylee said in an attempt to restore the peace,"This much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out." Zuko rounded on her.

"Bad skin?" Tylee cringed,"Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permant lesson **on my face!**" Zuko said, pointing to his scar. Tylee gave him a sad, meek look.

"Sorry Zuko, I..."

"For so long I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy," Zuko said,"I'm back home, now my dad talks to me. Ha, he even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angier than ever and I don't know why!"

"There's a simple question you need to answer then," Azula told him,"Who are you angry at?" Zuko had never thought about it. His anger didn't seem directed at anything.

"No one," he said as he looked down at his feet,"I'm just angry."

"Yeah," Mai said,"Who are you angry at, Zuko?"

"Everyone..." Zuko covered his ears. No that wasn't it,"I don't know."

"Is it Dad?" Azula asked him.

"No, no!" Zuko told her.

"Your uncle?" Tylee inquired. Zuko shook his head.

"No, no."

"Me?" Azula asked.

"Avaa?" Tylee asked quietly.

"No, no...no, no," Zuko answered.

"Then who? Who are you angry at?" Mai asked him.

"Answer the question, Zuko," Azula said sternly.

"Talk to us," Tylee pleaded. Zuko looked at the girls around him, suddenly feeling like a caged animal.

"Come on, answer the question," Mai said.

"Come on, answer it." Zuko closed his eyes then threw his arms down.

"**I'm angry at myself!**" The fire erupted into a ten foot column of flame, and quickly burned out, leaving only embers.

"Why?" Azula asked him when the fire had died down. Zuko turned away and looked at the ocean.

"Because I'm confused," he said,"Because I'm sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore." He heard Azula scoff. Zuko imagined her rolling her eyes.

"You're pathetic," she told him. Mai put her arm around Zuko making him turn to her. She smiled.

"I know one thing I care about..." she told him,"I care about you." Mai brought Zuko closer and kissed him. Zuko kissed back, happy to be forgiven. They broke apart when they heard slow mocking clapping. Zuko and Mai looked behind them at Azula.

"Well, those were wonderful performances, everyone," she said still clapping and smiling. Zuko frowned at her.

"I guess you wouldn't understand," he said as he wrapped a hand around Mai's waist and pulled her close,"would you Azula? Because you're just so perfect." Azula shrugged.

"Well,yes, you're right. I don't have sob stories like all of you," she said, "I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care." Azula looked at the dying embers in the fire pit," My own mother... thought I was a monster." She looked up at the rest of the group then shrugged again,"She was right of course, but it still hurt."

"What Li and Lo said came true. The beach did help us learn about ourselves." Tylee said. She bent over and pickedd up a stone,"I feel all smoothed. I'll always remember this." Zuko half-smield. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he did feel better. His problem still existed but he felt like he could fix it now.

Azula smiled evily and put a arm around Tylee.

"You know what would make this trip _really_ memorable?"

Azula knocked on Chan's front door. Chan opened it, looking puzzled to see them. Azula smirked.

"We've got some bad news, Chan," she said in a mock- sweet voice.

"Party's over," Zuko said before they pushed past Chan and into the house. Azula ran to a large vase, picked it up, and then dropped it on the floor.

"No!" Chan cried. Zuko smirked and kicked a table full of food in half, sending other guests running. He looked at Mai who cut five tapestries in half with one of her knives. Tylee jumped from the rafters and took two chandeliers with her. Chan looked at the damage the quartet had caused and burst into tears. Smiling, Azula, Mai, Tylee, and Zuko joined arms proudly. Yup, Zuko wouldn't be forgetting this any time soon.

--

**Guess who threw Avaa's pendant away. (coughMaicough)**

**Anyway I know Mai and Zuko were hypocritical about the pendant and Ruon Jin but I don't like Mai so I don't care about her. And as for Zuko...well what do you expect he's Zuko. **

**Review please. **


	22. Destiny

**I'm so sorry guys. High school + boyfriend + distracted person lack of updates. I know this has happened before (ALOT) but I can't do anythign about it. **

**This chapter is very plotty. And if you haven't seen the episode The Avatar and The Fire Lord, I suggest you do because Sozin wasn't very truthful in his final testament. And as a small note. I named Sozin's dragon Atsushi because it means 'pure amition'. Which fits very well I think. **

**Sorry for the HUGE delay. Enjoy!**

--

Destiny

Zuko lay in darkness. He was in the state of dreaming where you don't imagine yourself actually in the location, rather you see is like a vision. Zuko saw nothing but ebony blackness.

As he viewed the darkness a bright light materialized into a vaguely human shape. Zuko watched as Avaa appeared before him. She wore a white dress and had loosly tied guaze on her hands and feet. Her skin was so light, and her hair was so dark that she looked drained of all color.

"Zuko," Avaa said softly. Zuko now stood infront of her, looking into her solmn and almost longing face.

"Avaa," Zuko murmured, completely entranced by her. He took a small step toward Avaa to pull her in his arms and never let go. She walked to him first, though and put a ivory hand on his scarred cheek. Zuko saw the sadness in her dark brown eyes. He gently moved a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Avaa leaned foreward and pressed her lips to Zuko's. Zuko put his hand on the back of her neck to deepen their kiss, but Avaa pulled away with pain in her eyes. She turned away from Zuko.

"I have to go," she told him as she began to walk away.

"Avaa, no," Zuko said. He grabbed her hand, Avaa turned back to him with tears in her eyes. Zuko knotted his brow in worry as he watched a trickle of blood drip from Avaa's lips and down her chin.

"Zuko, please let go," she said. Zuko looked down at her hand in his. It was bleeding too. The dark red liquid stood out against her white skin.

"Zuko, please," Avaa begged him. Zuko looked back up at her face. Zuko forwned when he saw the red ribbon running from behind her ear. His stomach churned when he realized that he had done this to her. Everywhere he had touched her...

"Zuko!" Avaa's voice cracked. Zuko quickly let go of her hand and watched as Avaa walked away.

"Avaa," Zuko called to her. She looked over shoulder,"I'm sorry." She didn't believe him. Zuko could see it in her eyes.

"I can take physical pain," Avaa said before walking away. As she did, Zuko heard sharp footsteps, which was odd because Avaa's feet were bare.

Zuko woke from his dream and discovered the footsteps were from the hall. Zuko quietly bounded out of bed and rushed into the corridor. A drak figure hurried around the corner. Zuko started after it but his foot bumped into somehting on the floor. He looked down and saw it was a scroll.

Zuko picked it up and read it aloud to himself.

"You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny," he read. Zuko closed the scroll and looked down the hallway where the figure had disappeared.

Avaa tied her hair into a pony tail and walked to the others who were sitting around the map. Luckily, for them they hadn't met the Metal Man again. But they were still keeping an eye out for him.

Avaa turned to look at the sun rising over the hill. As she gazed at the firey colored sky, a breeze ruffled her hair and she got a strange feeling. She got the feeling of missing someone, like she needed someone. That wasn't unusal, but it was so random. There was also something else. A small feeling of being missed also.

Avaa shook off the feeling and stood behind Sokka. She looked at the map infront of him with her arms crossed.

"So where to now?" she asked him. Sokka set the apple he had been eating on the ground.

"Today's the summer solistice. The eclipse isn't that far away. We need to stop taking meaningless detours and stop only when nessisary," he said,"We'll stop here to get some suppiles." Sokka pointed to an island on the map.

"Actually," Aang said,"We _do _have to take a detour today."

"What?!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Last night, Roku told me that I have to know how the war started to know how to end it," Aang told him,"We have to visit his home." Sokka was silent. Katara turned to Aang.

"Where is it?" she asked him. Aang pointed to the tiny island right beside them.

"Right here."

As they approached the island Avaa frowned, very unsettled by what she saw. The island had not a speck of green on it. And was more unsettling was that the earth was black, like ash.

"There it is," Aang told them,"Roku's home."

"But there's nothing here," Katara said as they landed. Toph was the first one off Appa. When her feet hit the ground, her expression turned grim.

"Yes there is," she corrected Katara,"An entire village. Hundreds of houses, all completely buried in ash." A breeze sent a few loose ashes flying across their feet. Avaa looked at the ground and suddenly felt sick.

"Toph? Is there anyone..." she started. Toph made no response but her expression turned grimer. No one spoke. Avaa knelt down and stroked the ashes, praying for the souls underneath.

Zuko stood in the Royal Gallery. He held the bridge of his nose and sighed. He had been up all night going through all the history he remembered about Fire Lord Sozin. And He hadn't remembered **anything **siginificant to his destiny.

Zuko looked up at Sozin's portrait. He had hoped he'd think of something he might have missed, but he still turned out a blank. Azula walked past him.

"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko," she said,"Make sure he gets your good side." Zuko frowned and turned away from his sister. _What does she know?_ His frown disappeared. Azula had a good memory. Maybe she _did_ know something he didn't.

"Wait," he called after her,"I need to ask you something." Azula turned around with her eyebrows raised."What do you know about your great-grandfather's histroy?" Azula rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Ah, Zuko," she said as she walked to his side,"It's so strange how your mind works." Zuko narrowed his at her, but let her continue without interuption.

"Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as paitent as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end he died a very old sucessful man." Zuko forwned a little. He knew that already.

"But how did he die?" Azula sighed.

"Didn't you pay any atttention in school, Zuko?' she asked him. She began to away,"He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was anicent." Zuko turned back to Sozin's portrait and scowled. This was no help at all. What else could there be?

Avaa sat with the others on a hardened wave of lava that stretched over the ocean. Aang sat at the very tip, meditating. He had to enter the Spirit World to speak with Roku and as far as Avaa could tell he had succeded. Towards him, Avaa could fell the air a little lighter. She felt a little drawn to it but she stayed put beside Toph.Avaa changed postion and frowned when she felt pins and needles in her foot. Beside the others were also showing signs of boredom. Sokka tapped on his knee, Katara played with her fingers, and Toph lay on her back, facing the sky. Avaa stood up.

"I'm going to go look around," she told the others.

"At what?" Sokka asked her,"There's nothing here."

"I'm a very curious person. And I need to stretch my legs anyway."

"Just don't go too far," Sokka said. Avaa smirked.

"Don't worry, Sokka. I won't get into any trouble," she drew a 'x' over her chest,"I promise." Avaa turned away and walked down the hill of ash.

As Avaa walked around the island, the ash from the ground slowly turned her bare feet black. She smiled in amusement at a few of toes that were invisible against the ground. A shadow the passed over her, made her turn to the sky. A seabird circled above her. So far, that was the only sign of life she had seen on the island.

As she watched the little white bird, it lead her eyes to another little white object. Avaa was surprised she didn't notice it before. It stood out greatly against the ash black cliff.

Avaa walked towards it and saw it was a painting. It was set on a ledge about at her eye level. The painting featured a man, a woman, and a teenage boy. The man had a handsome long face, long hair, and a classic Fire Naton beard. The woman had a smaller, rounder face. Avaa guessed that she and the man were married and the boy was their son. Avaa turned to him next.

As she looked at him, she got the uncomfortable, haunting feeling that she had seen him before. The boy looked toward her as if to say, _You don't remember me? Think it'll come to you._ Avaa knotted her brow a little as she studied his face. The more she looked, the more he looked familar, then not so much. But no matter how much she looked, she reconized his nose, and mouth. They were funny things to reconize but...

Avaa shook her head and straightened up. _How did this even __**get**__ here?_ She wondered. She looked over her shoulder at the picture one last time, before walking back to the others.

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he lay on his bed. The only light in the room came from the lamp on his beside table. It cast a soft golden colored light around him and his bed. He sighed. After he had asked Azula about Sozin, Zuko had tried the palace library and found the exact same thing. Nothing.

Zuko turned to the table, picked up the scroll, and read it to himself again.

"What does it even mean?" he growled. He tossed it aside. It landed on the lamp. Zuko looked back at it and gasped when he saw a message appear on the paper. He picked the scroll back up and read the new message.

"The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone catacombs." He knew where that was. Zuko tossed the scroll, and grabbed his cloak. _Finally!_ he thought.

Zuko stared solmnly at the ominous temple infront of him. He knew that the Catacombs were here, he just didn't know how to get to them. Zuko watched the Fire Sages walked through the red-bathed courtyard.

One of the Sages stopped on a flower medallion in the center of the courtyard. The Sage crouched low and sent a blast of flame into the center of the design. Zuko heard the dull sound of stone scraping against stone as the Fire Sage disappear under the courtyard.

Zuko waited until the passage closed up again before following the Sage's example and revealing a hidden staircase. Zuko climbed down it and entered a large, long chamber. It was lined with dragon skulls and filled with golden torch light. Above him, Zuko could just barely hear the voices of the Fire Sages chanting in a lost language. The slomn, deep sound echoed through his ears.

As Zuko approached the end os the passage he came across a door with a metal statue of Fire Lord Sozin. On the statue's chest was a Fire nation emblam. Zuko placed his hand over it and delivered a powerful fire blast. Zuko's fire filled the door and poured out of Fire Lord sozin's eyes, nose, and mouth. The door swung open, pulling cobwebs apart. Zuko entered the room and pulled off his hood. He raised his lantern to reveal the dark room. It was filled with various antiques, but the one that caught Zuko's attention is the one in the center of the room. It was a shelf sitting underneath an ornate dragon. Inisde the shelf was a collection of scrolls. Zuko pulled one of them and found exactly what he was looking for.

"The final testament of Fire Lord Sozin,"he read.

_As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but hink of a time when everything was so much brighter. A time before the responsiblities of being Fire Lord had been giving to me, and when I still had the compainionship of my good friend Avatar Roku._

_We were more than friends, we were more like brothers. Roku and I did nearly everythhing together. We trained together, went to scool together, and there were no secrets between us. We even shared the same birthday._ _But our firendship wasn't destinied to last, as I would discover in later years. _

_Soon, the day came when my friend Roku had to leave the Fire Nation and face his destiny as the Avatar. He needed to travel the world so he could master the other elements. _

_Twleve years passed before I saw my friend. When Roku returned he was a fully realized Avatar, and I had changed as well. I had taken my place as Fire Lord and realized how successful my empire was, and the possiblities of it. _

_As Roku and I caught up, Roku also caught up with a girl we knew from our early years. The more they reaquainted themselves to one another, the more they would disappear, together. It wasn't long before the two were married. _

_On wedding days, we look to the future with optimisim and joy. I had my own vision for a brighter future. I shared my plans to expand the Fire nation's borders and share its prosperity and wealth with the world with Roku. With Roku, the avatar, by my side the Fire Nation would become the most powerful nation in the world. _

_Roku, however, did not approve of my plans and dismissed them, saying that was the last he wanted to hear of it. But despite what Roku thought I launched a small attack on a costal Erath Kingdom village and conquored it. _

_When Roku discovered the colony, he was furious. He ordered me to give the territory back to the Earth Kingdom, but I refused. In a fit of rage Roku atacked me and warned me to abandon all my plans for the Fire Nation. It was then I realized that Roku would only get in the way. _

_A number of years later, in the middle of the night, two of the many volcanoes in the Fire Nation. Both on Roku's island._

_Roku's island was 100 miles away. But I could still feel it rumbling and see the black fume of smoke. I had never seen anything like this catasophe. I learned a few days later that Roku had died while trying to protect the island._

_With Roku gone, and the great comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew that the next avatar would be bron an Air Nomad. So I wiped out the air temples. But somehow, the new avatar eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searchign in vain. I know he's hiding out there somewhere. The Fire Nation's greastest threat...the last airbender. _

Zuko frowned at the scroll.

"That can't be it," he said,"Where's the rest of it?" Zuko lifted up the scroll to the lantern to see if there was another hidden message. There wasn't one. Zuko snatched up the note he had recived the night before. After he read it again he realized who sent it.

Zuko stormed through the hall of the prison tower, knocking the gurad off his feet as he went. Zuko yanked the cell door open and entered it.

"You sent this didn't you?" he snapped at Iroh who was calmly sitting on the floor behind the bars. He didn't even look up,"I found the secret history. Which, by the way should be renamed 'the history most people already know.' The note said I had to learn about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"

Iroh looked and spoke to Zuko for the first time in months.

"No...he wasn't." Still angry, Zuko furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked his uncle.

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko," Iroh told him,"Sozin was your father's grandfather, your _mother's_ grandfather was Avatar Roku." Zuko's eyes widened as he fell to his knees. He was- Zuko couldn't even finish the thought. He clutched the cell bars so tightly his knuckles were white.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked Iroh.

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy," Iroh told him. Zuko looked at the ground,scowling. As if his life wasn't complicated enough..or maybe this was _why_ his life was complicated. Zuko held his head in his hands. This had taken him totally off guard, he didn't know what to think. Why did he feel so powerless?

"But there is a bright side," Iroh told him. Zuko looked back up at his uncle,"What happened generations ago can be resolved now...by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world."

Iroh turned away and walked to the back of the cell. Zuko alomst panicked. _Wait!_ he started thinking. He couldn't just turn away now. Not after just dumping this on him. But Iroh turned back around with a small bundle in his hand. As he walked back to Zuko he unwrapped it.

"This is a royal artifact. Its supposed to be worn by the crown prince," Iroh told him. Zuko stared at the headpeice in Iroh's hand. In an almost dream-like state Zuko reacted through the bars and took the headpeice, the one that looked exactly like the one Avatar Roku wore. _Oh, Agni..._

That morning, Aang finally joined them in the physical world. Once he had, he told them about what Avatar Roku had shown him. At the end Avaa was frowning gently. Somehow she wasn't very surprised.

"You mean, after all that Roku and Sozin went through together...even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"Sounds kinda familar to me," Avaa muttered bitterly with her arms crossed. It looked to her that betrayal was in Zuko's blood.

"It's like these people are born bad," Toph said. Aang shook his head.

"No that's wrong," he said,"I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all."

"Then what was the point?" Sokka asked him.

"Roku was just as much as Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proved anyone is capable of great good and great evil. Even the Fire Lord,"Aang said. Everyone looked downward, deep in thought,"and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships."

"Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Toph asked. Aang smiled and her hand in his.

"I don't see why not," he said. Katara smiled also and took Toph's other hand. Sokka stood beside his sister with his hand on his chin.

"Well, scientifically speaking there's no way to prove that-" he started.

"Oh, Sokka, just hold hands," Katara snapped. Sokka hesitated for a moment before extending his hand to Katara without moving the rest of his body. Katara took it and smiled proudly. Aang turned to Avaa.

"Come on, Avaa. You too," he said. Avaa smiled and took the young airbenders hand.

When Avaa opened her eyes she was sitting crossed legged inside a circle of flames. Infront of her was the man she reconized as Avatar Roku. The tall, stately man looked at her with a small smile. Avaa looked up at him, as he was standing up. He looked exactly like the paintings Avaa had seen of him. A wrinkeld, handsome face, long white hair, and an equally long beard.

"Am I in the Spirit World?" Avaa asked him. Avatar Roku nodded slowly. Avaa looked at the walls of flame. She couldn't see anything beyond them. Roku noticed her look and said,

"This is not the relam you're used to, but it is the Spirit World." Avaa nodded.

"Why did you summon me?" she asked Roku.

"I need to speak to you," he told her. Avaa furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Why me? Shouldn't you be talking to Aang?" Avaa asked.

"I've told Aang all he needs to know for now. _You_ are the person I need to speak with." Avaa looked him over. She didn't understand why Roku would need to speak to _her._ Her of all people. Despite her thoughts Avaa said,

"All right, I'm listening." Roku suddenly looked solmn as he turned his eyes down to her.

"From your birth you were very unique, Avaa. You are a child of Earth and Fire and you have the power to visit the Spirit World. But these are not the only things that are special about you. Since you were born, your destiny has been joined with that of my great-grandson." Avaa looked at Roku and blinked in, confused. He said it like it was an honor, but she didn't know who his great-grandson was. Not to mention she had no idea what was so speacial about him.

"Who is he?" Avaa asked Roku,"Why is he special?"

"I cannot tell you his name, but it is his destiny to help Aang restore balance to the world." Avaa suddenly felt smaller than she already was, kneeling at the feet of a very tall man. _Her _destiny was joined with _his?_

"Why me?" Roku shrugged his shoulders a little.  
"I don't know. Destiny is a funny thing," he told her.

Avaa turned her gaze from Roku. What did this mean for her? If the man her destiny was joined with is to restore balance did that mean she was to do the same? What part did she play?

"But," Roku said. Avaa looked back up at him,"Because of certain events that have transpired there are two ways you can fulfil your destiny. I can't be specific, but I urge you to forgive those that have betrayed you and not focus on their betrayals but the good memories you have with them." Avaa looked at Roku, puzzled. Why did everyone have to be so cyrptic?

"And, Avaa. Your brother, Hotaru, will be in the Fire nation capital during the eclispe. It is very likey that you will have to face him." Avaa's face hardened. She nodded sharply,"I wish you the best of luck, Avaa." Roku said before disappearing into the flames.

--

**Hehehe plot! The next chapter will be filler-ish. It's the chapter for Nightmares and Day Dreams. The next two chapters will take a very long time because I'll have to write them together. I could post them sparately, but if I do I would leave you with such I cliff-hanger everyone will flip out. Everyone will probably flipout anyway, but at least I won't torture you with cliff-hangers. **

**Review please. **


	23. Announcement

Hey guys I'm if you're following me as an author you already know that I have made a new and improved (I hope) version of Opposing Forces. I'm posting this announcement to let anyone else know this.

I'm sorry to abandon this story but the way I set up the plot wasn't working anymore. Please read the second version and tell me what you think. ^-^

Thanks guys.


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